In recent days, the Province of Lecco has promoted a new way to discover Villa Monastero in Varenna through theatrical guided tours of the House Museum entitled The Secret Life of Villa Monastero.
Narration and music were the key elements of what felt like a small traveling theatrical performance. The initiative was organized by the Sentiero dei Sogni association.
The task of engaging visitors was entrusted to a cast of four professionals: journalist Pietro Berra, musician Andrea Pizzamiglio, and actresses Sarah Paoletti and Marta Caronti.
The journalist and the musician guided visitors through the rooms of the House Museum, offering a journey through time: it was possible to encounter some of the figures who once lived at Villa Monastero. Exceptional witnesses from the past recounted the extraordinary history of what is now the House Museum, from its origins as a Cistercian monastery in the medieval period to the time of Italian unification, when the complex belonged to Carolina Maumary, a noblewoman and benefactor, niece of Alessandro Manzoni.
Pietro Berra, author of the staged text, plays a journalist writing a book about Villa Monastero who wishes to interview its former owners, but cannot because they have all passed away. He then asks for help from a musician friend, Andrea Pizzamiglio, who possesses an ancient small organ with magical powers: if played skillfully, it can awaken the “secret life” of places—that is, the spirits of those who once inhabited them.
The journey through time, across part of the park and especially within the rooms of the House Museum, ranges from the 12th century, when the Cistercian monastery was built, to the golden years of its lavish life as a noble residence between the 19th and 20th centuries. The experience unfolded through missed evocations and unexpected twists.
In the end, the experiment succeeds, as two figures from the past truly appear: a Cistercian nun, played by Sarah Paoletti, and the maid of Carolina Maumary—the noblewoman and niece of Alessandro Manzoni who owned the villa in the second half of the 19th century.
In their company, among true and plausible stories, witty exchanges and misunderstandings, songs and literary quotations, participants pass through all the rooms of the House Museum, discovering anecdotes and curious details in an engaging way.
To stay updated on Villa Monastero’s cultural initiatives: www.villamonastero.eu
