Villa Mapelli Mozzi, also known as Villa Mozzi or Villa Mapelli, is a large rural neoclassical-style palace in Locate Bergamasco, a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of Ponte San Pietro, which is located in the

province of Bergamo The Province of Bergamo ( it, provincia di Bergamo; lmo, proìnsa de Bèrghem) is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It has a population of 1,112,187 (2017), an area of , and contains 243 ''comuni''. Its capital is the city of Bergamo. ...

, northern Italy.

History

The site originally held a castle, property of the Mozzi family, but the current villa was completed after 1770 by the

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Enrico Mozzi. The architect is not known definitively, but it could have been a local architect, Giovanni Moroni. He might have had suggestions from Giuseppe Piermarini, since the design is similar to that of the Royal Villa of Monza, and the peaked roof recalls his design for the

Teatro alla Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

in Milan. In 1820, ''

Conte Conte may refer to: * Conte (literature), a literary genre * Conte (surname) * Conté, a drawing medium * Conte, Jura, town in France * Conté royal family, a fictional family in Tamora Pierce's Tortallan world * Conte, the title of Count in Italy ...

'' D. Luigi Mozzi was connected with the "villa Mozzi, later Mapelli". The property remains in the possession of the Mapelli Mozzi family who also own the "sumptuous" Villa Mapelli Mozzi located in Casatenovo, between Bergamo and

Lake Como Lake Como ( it, Lago di Como , ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh de Còmm , ''Cómm'' or ''Cùmm'' ), also known as Lario (; after the la, Larius Lacus), is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the thir ...

Legacy

The interior of the Ponte San Pietro building has a large staircase leading to a ''

piano nobile The ''piano nobile'' (Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ''bel étage'') is the principal floor of a palazzo. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the hou ...

'' frescoed by

Vincenzo Angelo Orelli Vincenzo Angelo Orelli (1751-1813) was a Swiss-Italian painter, mainly of sacred subjects, active in a late baroque style. He was born in Locarno in the Ticino, but active also in Milan and Bergamo. He is the son of the painter Giuseppe Antoni ...

Paolo Vincenzo Bonomini Paolo Vincenzo Bonomini (23 January 1757 – 1839) was an Italian painter. Biography Bonomini was born in Bergamo to an artist father Paolo Maria, who encouraged his son's artistic study. Bonomini's early works were done in a rococo style that la ...

, and

Agostino Comerio The dome of San Sebastiano in Milan Agostino Comerio (12 May 1784 – 5 August 1834) was an Italian painter, active mainly in Northern Italy. Life and career He was born in Locate, near Como, to Filippo Comerio, a painter from Milan and Laur ...

. The villa has long held the family's significant works of

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

, with Alex Mapelli Mozzi (b. 1951) – also of Ponte San Pietro – working internationally as an

art dealer An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art, or acts as the intermediary between the buyers and sellers of art. An art dealer in contemporary art typically seeks out various artists to represent, and builds relationsh ...

and

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

References

External links

Villa Mapelli Mozzi
– Isola Bergamasca website
Villa Mapelli Mozzi (in Casatenovo)
– another Mapelli Mozzi

family seat A family seat or sometimes just called seat is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families to ...

in Casatenovo, Italy
''La famiglia Mapelli''
{{in lang, it Mapelli Mozzi Houses completed in 1780 Mapelli-Mozzi family