The Villa Arconati, also known as the Castellazzo Degli Arconati, is a rural palace and gardens, located in the district of Castellazo of the town of

Bollate Bollate (Milanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan. As of 30 November 2017, it had a population of 36,488. Bollate borders the following muni ...

, northwest of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, Italy. Built-in a grand Baroque style over the 17th and 18th centuries, it now functions as a museum and host for events and meetings.

History

A ''Castellazzo'' or castle was acquired in 1610 by Galeazzo Arconati, cousin of Cardinal

Federico Borromeo Federico Borromeo (18 August 1564 – 21 September 1631) was an Italian cardinal and Archbishop of Milan, a prominent figure of Counter-Reformation Italy. Early life Federico Borromeo was born in Milan as the second son of Giulio Cesare Borrom ...

. Galeazzo was a patron of the arts and served as the rector of the ''Fabbrica del

Duomo of Milan Milan Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Milano ; lmo, Domm de Milan ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary ( it, Basilica cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Nascente, links=no), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombard ...

''. Under Galeazzo's ownership, the castle-palace on the site was reconstructed and refurbished. It was also Galeazzo who, during the year 1621 brought to the structure his collection of ancient Roman sculpture, including a standing statue said to be

Pompey the Great Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

, but also the remaining fragments of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

style ''Funereal Monument of Gaston of Foix, Duke of Nemours'' (died 1512) by Agostino Busi. Galeazzo was also at the one-time owner of the

Codex Atlanticus The Codex Atlanticus (Atlantic Codex) is a 12-volume, bound set of drawings and writings (in Italian) by Leonardo da Vinci, the largest single set. Its name indicates the large paper used to preserve original Leonardo notebook pages, which was us ...

of Leonardo da Vinci. The gardens were restructured in 1621. Construction on the site continued after 1648 under grandson's leadership, the Count Luigi Maria Arconati, and in 1671 under his great-grandson Giuseppe Maria Arconati. In 1718, Giuseppe Antonio Arconati, grandson of Giuseppe Maria, and remembered also for his patronage of

Carlo Goldoni Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: * Carlo (name) * Monte Carlo * Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince ...

, inherits the palace. In 1742, the architect Giovanni Ruggeri was employed in embellishments and expansions. The Galliari brothers: Bernardino, Fabrizio, and Giovanni Antonio, were employed in the fresco decoration of the interior of the Villa. After 1772, the palace passed on to the Busca family, who commissioned further works, including the trompe l'oeil frescoes in the entrance stairwell, attributed to

Giocondo Albertolli Giocondo Albertolli (24 July 1743 – 15 November 1839) was a Swiss-born architect, painter, and sculptor who was active in Italy during the Neoclassical period. Biography Albertolli was born into a family of artists in Bedano, a village 7 ...

. During the 20th century, the villa was inherited by the Marchesa Beatrice Crivelli. Many of the removable items inside the villa were auctioned in 1989. The società Palladium and others have recently purchased the Villa and since 2011 hosts the Fondazione Augusto Rancilio, which seeks to maintain and restore the site, and foster its use. The Villa is also now part of a network of Ville Gentilizie Lombarde, a project of the

Region of Lombardy (man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , ...

, supported by the

Fondazione Cariplo Fondazione Cariplo is a charitable foundation in Milan, Italy. It was created in December 1991 when the Amato law, Law no. 218 of 30 July 1990, came into force. Under this law, saving banks were required to separate into a not-for-profit fou ...

. The Ville Gentilizie Lombarde sponsors a project integrated project both in terms of the strategies of recovery and management of this heritage, and its use by the public through guided visits, educational programs, and events. The gardens, whose 18th-century layout was documented by the engraver Marc'Antonio dal Re, are also under restoration.

References

{{Authority control Gardens in Lombardy Arconati Baroque architecture in Lombardy Bollate