Villa Bagatti Valsecchi

This residence was built for the noble Milanese family of the Bagatti Valsecchi; seeking relief from the heat of the city, they often spent their summers in Brianza in the company of guests and friends. The building consists of a massive central block from which two lower wings with terraced roofs protrude. The roof of the main section of the villa is surmounted by a small viewing loggia or belvedere.

The portico is supported by fifteenth-century columns taken from Milan’s Lazzaretto (the plague hospital described by Alessandro Manzoni in his “Promessi Sposi” [“The Betrothed”]) when it was demolished. A spectacular perspective is created by the avenue leading up to the villa, which is surrounded by an Italian garden and another in a romantic style.