The architectural complex is found in a stupendous position, in the middle of the Mt. Accio coast, today Mt. San Bartolo, which looks over the Foglia river valley. The Villa, one of the most beautiful renaissance residences, was built in two successive phases: the older one, dating to the second half of the 1400s was commissioned by Alessandro Sforza and the cornerstone was placed by the Emperor Federico III; the denomination Imperial takes it origins from this act.
Its architecture is sombre: built on a square design the villa is surmounted by a guard tower over the entry portal which bears the coat of arms of the Sforza family. The other part of the complex was commissioned by Francesco Maria I Della Rovere, who entrusted the architectural design to Girolamo Genga, with the intention of creating a place for rendezvous and pleasure which was then frequented by famous literary figures and artists like Bernardo and Torquato Tasso, Baldassarre Castiglione, Pietro Bembo. The villa has numerous salons frescoed by famous painters: Dosso Dossi, Raffaellino del Colle, Bronzino, Camillo Mantovano.The park which surrounds the villa extends for 35 hectares, and is rich in evergreens, including various species of pine and holm-oak.