Villa Litta Panza is a U-shaped baroque building facing the foot of the hills and the large surrounding park, which is typical of the Biumo (Varese) area. Rare, valuable essences grow here, such as an enormous Liriodendron, an exemplary Fagus Asplenifolia, examples of holm oaks, Turkey oaks, Araucaria Araucana, and a gigantic Catalpa.
Villa Panza: history
The unique layout implemented by the purchaser, Marquis Paolo Antonio Menafoglio, reveals a desire for peaceful intimacy, and includes an inner courtyard not facing public areas, as was the tradition at the time. The first nucleus of the noble home dates back to the 1600’s. It was surrounded by a French garden, which was replaced with an English park in the 1800’s.
Large natural zones and fascinating areas were created such as the little lake, the grotto and the hill of the small temple. In 1823, the villa was purchased by the Litta family, who expanded it with the elegant neoclassical sitting room (probably work by Albertolli), two stables and the orangery.
12 years later, the building and surrounding park were sold to the Panza family from Biumo, who kept it until 1996 when Giuseppe Panza (an enthusiastic collector of American contemporary art) decided to donate the entire complex, its historic furnishings and some pieces from his personal collection to the FAIFondo per l’Ambiente Italiano (Italian Foundation for the Environment). The pieces from his personal collection included 21 pieces of Pre-Columbian art and over 100 pieces of contemporary art. These works are currently on display inside the ancient residence, and constitute the well-known Collection of Contemporary Art of Villa Panza.
The Collection of Contemporary Art of Villa Litta Panza
The tour starts in the Courtyard of Honour and continues through the portico to the monumental flight of steps leading to the first floor. The sitting room and adjacent dining room have African, Pre-Columbian and contemporary sculptures.
The gallery has works by the only Italian artist in the museum: Ettore Spalletti. The rooms partially used as the Hall of Honour have works by Max Cole, P. Sims, W. Roeth and A. Graham. The visit of the rustici rooms is reserved for small, guided groups.
Photo gallery Villa Litta Panza
Panoramio is no longer available
Thank you for stopping by.
Panoramio has been discontinued. We’ve appreciated your contributions over the years and hope you will continue to share amazing photos with the world.
Sincerely,
The Panoramio team
Frequently-asked questions
What happened to my Panoramio data?
If your Panoramio profile was linked with your Google account, then all your Panoramio photos were copied to your Google Album Archive at full resolution. All other data has been permanently deleted.
Will my Panoramio photos continue to appear in Google Earth and Google Maps?
If your Panoramio photos were appearing in Google Maps with the name of your Google Account, then they will continue to appear along with their original view counts. If they were only attributed to your Panoramio username, they will no longer appear. You can view and manage photos by signing in to Google Maps and accessing the Contributions screen from the main menu.
Is there any way to keep posting photos to Google Earth and Google Maps?
Yes - to keep adding photos to Google Maps and engage with a growing community of photographers, join the Local Guides program. You can earn points and unlock rewards for photos submitted with a Google account when they are linked to a point of interest or business.
Follow @LagoMaggioreNet