A broad phenomenon of international scope spread throughout the arts in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A new style characterized by sinuous and elegant forms, the accentuated play of curved lines, and inspiration in nature and plant forms.
Known in Italy as Liberty, but elsewhere known by different names - Art Nouveau in France, Jugendstil in Germany, Modernism in Spain-it had a completely original characterization in Monza.
In the city, in fact, the presence of Queen Margherita of Savoy in Villa Reale, the summer resort of the Savoy family, led to the proliferation of stylized daisies in the ornaments of the new Monza architecture, anticipating the Italian Art Nouveau season.
The splendid Villa Reale that once belonged to the Habsburgs became the Reggia Sabauda with the Unification of Italy, a wedding gift from King Victor Emmanuel II to Prince Umberto and his consort Margherita. The royals were both very fond of the Monza mansion, and they frequently stayed there, initiating radical modernization works, both structural and decorative, to adapt the building to the new requirements of comfort and functionality. The queen, with her refined taste, gave a strong personal imprint to the works, furnishings and decorations, so much so that today we can identify in the spaces of the Reggia the so-called "Marguerite Style".
The presence of Queen Margaret also led to an exciting momentum of building and decorative renewal in the city. In the neighborhood in front of the Villa, on either side of the Viale Cesare Battisti, numerous villas of the upper middle class sprang up, in which to catch, in the decorative apparatuses, the proliferation of floral ornaments, mostly stylized daisies in honor of the Sovereign and the establishment of a new style.
Pretty and delicate daisies on the facades of the palaces also flourished in the city, as well as large butterflies, bouquets and vegetable ornaments.
The itinerary we propose, necessarily originates from the Villa Reale, the seat of the "summer court" of Umberto and Margherita of Savoy and the propelling center of the new style, and leads to the discovery of some of the most valuable examples of Art Nouveau buildings, which allow us to admire the spread of this taste in the city. But there are too many examples to mention. To delve deeper into the subject, we recommend the volume dedicated to Art Nouveau in Monza, full of historical news, photos and insights: Stile Margherita. Discovering Monza Liberty between Eclecticism and Dèco 1900-1930, edited by R. Cassanelli, M. Magni and V. Parretti.
