Dar Sebastian is the most distinctive building in Hammamet — a large villa set in extraordinary gardens that blend Andalusian courtyards, Roman-inspired terraces, and North African planting. Built by the Romanian millionaire George Sebastian in the 1920s, it occupies a prime position on the edge of the Medina facing the sea.
The house now operates as a cultural centre and is the venue for the annual Hammamet International Festival, one of Tunisia's main performing arts events (July–August). The open-air theatre in the garden, built into the existing landscape, is particularly good. Outside festival season the gardens can often be visited, and the architecture rewards a look even from the outside. Frank Lloyd Wright's reported enthusiasm on seeing the villa is not hard to understand.