Visit to the Villa Arconati in Bollate

A little Versailles just a stone’s throw from Milan

This historic villa, a real jewel of the Groane Park, is often compared to the grand palace of Versailles in Paris because of its size and splendor. The history of the villa as we know it today begins in 1610, when Galeazzo Arconati, cousin of Cardinal Federico Borromeo and rector of the Fabbrica del Duomo, bought the property and had it completely renovated, filling it with works of art and sculptures, including many marbles from classical Rome. In 1621 Galeazzo made a trip to Rome that would inspire him greatly in the design of the villa: in fact, from here on, the work would be strongly influenced by the model of the Roman and Florentine villas. The villa, park and garden were better integrated with each other and the choice was made to introduce complex water features inspired by the studies of Leonardo da Vinci, whose famous Atlantic Codex Galeazzo owned!
Following Galeazzo’s death, the descendants of the Arconati family always carried on his project, making the villa more and more majestic and expanding the collection of artworks housed inside.

Villa Arconati today

Since 2011, Villa Arconati has become the home of the Augusto Rancilio Foundation, which not only maintains and restores the building but also organizes important cultural events there. A guided tour of Villa Arconati is the right way to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, even if only for a day, by immersing yourself in the evocative scenery of the villa and its garden, consisting of more than 12 hectares of lawns, gardens, flower beds and many elaborate fountains. But the wonders do not end there: the villa’s interiors, which cover an area of 10,000 m² divided into 70 rooms, will also leave you speechless not only because of their immense size, but also and above all because of their majestic frescoes with mythological themes created by the Galliari brothers, famous painters and set designers of Milan’s La Scala Theater. In addition, among the treasures still inside Villa Arconati are the Roman statue of Tiberius (originally known as the sculpture “of Pompey the Great”) and the magnificent library where the Atlantic Codex by Leonardo da Vinci, donated to the Ambrosian Library in 1637.