In the province of Lecco, there are 72 sites open to visitors and 10 itineraries, spread across 29 municipalities, with six new additions.
‘Ville Aperte in Brianza’, an initiative organised by the Province of Monza and Brianza, returns for its autumn edition from 19 September to 4 October, featuring three weekends of special open days and a host of events.
“Ville Aperte in Brianza,” comments Alessandra Hofmann, President of the Province of Lecco, “provides a valuable opportunity every year to discover and rediscover the rich and varied historical, artistic and landscape heritage that characterises our region. This autumn’s edition once again demonstrates the event’s ability to foster collaboration between local authorities, institutions and organisations, raising awareness of our outstanding assets and helping to strengthen the identity and appeal of the Province of Lecco. Special thanks go to the Province of Monza and Brianza for its ongoing commitment to organising and coordinating this well-established event, which is greatly appreciated by the public.”
“Thanks to the fruitful collaboration between public bodies and private organisations, the event continues to grow and to involve an ever-increasing number of venues and people” emphasises Silvia Bosio, the Provincial Councillor responsible for Culture and Cultural Heritage. “With each edition, in fact, the range of sites open to visitors expands, allowing residents and visitors alike to access little-known places or those not normally open to the public. I would like to thank everyone who, through their commitment and passion, makes this important initiative possible, helping to raise awareness of and promote the cultural and scenic treasures of the Museum Network of the Province of Lecco.”
The Province of Lecco is taking part in the initiative with Villa Monastero in Varenna, which will be open to the public on 19, 20, 26 and 27 September, and 3 and 4 October, with a new feature: in addition to the usual guided tours costing €7 and featuring reduced-price admission (booking essential via the website www.villeaperte.info), a new and innovative way to visit the Villa will be available during the September weekends, entitled ‘SonOra – Riflessi d’Incanto’; an immersive experience organised by CoopCulture as part of the ‘Multipli’ project, dedicated to new forms of visiting and narrating cultural heritage.
Conceived in collaboration with the musicologist Giovanni Bietti, the initiative uses music as a means of interpreting and showcasing the Villa’s spaces, bringing together art, history, landscape and emotional resonance.
The tour takes in the House Museum, the Botanical Garden and the views over Lake Como, offering a unique insight into the site through sound and the senses.
The tour is available by booking at a cost of 10 euros (reduced to 7 euros for those who have purchased a ticket and attended the opera ‘Madama Butterfly’), in addition to the reduced-price admission ticket.
Tickets and guided tours can be booked on the website www.villamonastero.eu.
Visitors to Villa Monastero at the weekends of 26 and 27 September and 3 and 4 October will also be able to see the exhibition Marco and Rosa De Marchi: a villa, a collection, a love story, which highlights the figures of Marco (1872–1936) and Rosa De Marchi (1865–1951), to whom we owe the bequest of Villa Monastero for public use.
The initiative has been launched to mark the 90th anniversary of Marco De Marchi’s death, which is being commemorated this year.
There will also be an in-depth feature on the Villa’s 19th-century museum collections, focusing on the painted ceiling of the master bedroom at Villa Monastero: a fascinating example of the Neo-Tiepolo style on Lake Como.
This year, within the province of Lecco, 72 sites and 10 itineraries are taking part in the event, spread across 29 municipalities: there are six new additions, comprising two sites open for the first time (one in Missaglia, one in Colle Brianza) and four new itineraries (one in Bosisio Parini, two in Ello, one in Oggiono).
Among the sites open to the public in the province of Lecco are other museums belonging to the Lecco Provincial Museum Network: the Orrido in Bellano (part of the ‘Art and Nature’ trail, which includes four other sites), the Civico Museo Setificio Monti in Abbadia Lariana, the Monastery of Santa Maria del Lavello in Calolziocorte, the Casa del Pellegrino and the San Calocero Complex – Casa del Cieco in Civate, the Barro Archaeological Museum, the Alta Brianza Ethnographic Museum and the gardens of Villa Bertarelli in Galbiate, the Abegg Silk Museum in Garlate, the Museum of the Blessed Serafino Morazzone in the hamlet of Chiuso near Lecco, the Mozzanica Foundation in Merate, Villa Greppi in Monticello Brianza, the MUD in Oggiono, and the Botanical Gardens in Valmadrera.
Among the new additions are the trail “Garbagnate Rota, tra immagini e parole” a Bosisio Parini, Campanone della Brianza in Colle Brianza, the itineraries “Dagli artigiani del ferro (armaioli) del ‘400 alla rivoluzione industriale (serica) e turistica dei signori milanesi tra arte cultura e fede e I Longobardi dal mistero dell’Isola Comacina alla Regina Teodolinda” in Ello, the Convent of Santa Maria della Misericordia in Missaglia, and the “Escape tour alla ricerca del diamante rosa” in Oggiono.
Further information is available on the website www.villeaperte.info.
