Bornova, northeast of central İzmir, was the favourite summer retreat of İzmir's Levantine merchant families in the nineteenth century. The British, Dutch, and Italian trading dynasties — the Whittalls, the Girauds, the de Andrias — built grand suburban villas here surrounded by orchards and gardens, creating a colonial enclave that earned Bornova the nickname "Little Britain."
Many of the old Levantine villas survive in various states of preservation, scattered among the modern university campus (Ege University is here) and the suburban streets. The Whittall, Giraud, and Charnaud family houses are the most significant. This is a neighbourhood for history enthusiasts and architectural buffs rather than casual tourists, but the story of İzmir's Levantine community — cosmopolitan, prosperous, and eventually destroyed by the events of 1922 — is a fascinating one.