The Villa Gallarati Scotti is a rural palace located near the town of
Vimercate
Vimercate (; , ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Monza and Brianza, in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is from Milan and from Monza.
Its name (whose first finding dates back to the year 745) derives from the Latin ''Vicus ...
, in the
Province of Monza and Brianza
The province of Monza and Brianza (; ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy.
Description
It was officially created by splitting the north-eastern part from the province of Milan on 12 May 2004, and became executive ...
, in the
Region of Lombardy
The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
, Italy.
The villa, also known as ''Villa di Oreno'', was built initially in 1685 by Giovanni Battista Scotti, Conte di Colturano. It was one of the villas engraved by
Marcantonio Dal Re in his book about contemporary ''villas di delizia'' (Ville di Lombardia) near Milan.
The villa underwent
Neoclassic style reconstruction in the end of the 18th and start of the 19th century by the architect
Simone Cantoni
Simone Cantoni (2 September 1739 – 3 March 1818) was a Swiss architect of the Neoclassical period, active mainly in Northern Italy.
Among his many works are the Villa Olmo in Como, Villa Cigalini in Bornate, Villa Giovia in Brescia, Villa Ga ...
. The facade was added a large clock face. The surrounding gardens were arrayed in parterres, and contained a ''Nymphaeum of Neptune'' (1720–1721) with a waterfall fountain. The latter was admired by the French scholar
Montesquieu
Charles Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (18 January 168910 February 1755), generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French judge, man of letters, historian, and political philosopher.
He is the principal so ...
in 1728. Later, during the renovation works the garden changed style too. It was originally based on the French style, it featured statues, fountains, and a tree-lined venue. After the renovation it adopted the newer emerging English style, it was enlarged, the bushes were chopped and replaced by a large plain of grass surrounded by tall trees.
The interior was decorated with various frescoes from the 17th century, including a ''Hall of Alexander the Great'' with frescoed scenes depicting: ''Alexander tames Bucephalus''; ''Alexander and the Gordian Knot'', ''Alexander wounded at Tarsus'', ''Alexander at Issus''. The ceiling has allegorical figures including ''The Pardon'', ''Love of Country'', ''Abundance'', ''Victory'' and ''Strength''. While the artists have not been identified, they have been attributed to either
Pietro Maggi,
Giovanni Battista Sassi,
Francesco Bianchi (painter), or
Giovanni Battista Castellino.
In 1845, Duke Tomaso Gallarati Scotti commissioned works from
Gioacchino Crivelli, and later from
Franco Ruggeri.
The duke Tommaso was followed by his son G. Carlo, prince of Molfetta. Carlo, who was very interested in natural sciences and bred animals in the Garden of the villa, it is known that he once performed with a bear for charity.
The villa Gallarate Scotti was affected by the two world wars as well. During the
first war G. Carlo himself made it available as a rehabilitation center for the injured soldiers, during the
second war, the villa was confiscated and used for military purposes. At the end of the war, it was G. Giacomo Gallarate Scotti, the heir of G. Carlo, who refurbished the villa and completed the works to restore it.
References
{{Coord, 45.6183, 9.3545, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title
Gallarati Scotti
Gardens in Lombardy
Neoclassical villas in Lombardy
Vimercate