Villa Arconati-FAR | Grandi Giardini Italiani

History

Among the most beautiful and majestic Villas of delight, Villa Arconati is located in Castellazzo di Bollate, just 12 km from the center of Milan. Its park, one of the most beautiful historic gardens in Lombardy - already known in the eighteenth century thanks to the engravings of Marc'Antonio Dal Re - is today a place of confrontation with contemporary culture - with its social, musical and artistic events, but also an ideal space for relive past atmospheres with shady tree-lined avenues, refreshing ponds and sculp tures.
Among its treasures they are the magnificent Theater of Diana with its restored water features, the Fountain of the Dolphin, the Theater of Andromeda, the Great Theater and the Theater of Hercules, the labyrinth of hornbeams and the French Parterre decorated with an eighteenth-century motif.
The noble floor houses some of the most richly decorated rooms: the Sala di Fetonte with the eighteenth-century trompe l'oeil fresco by the Galliari Brothers - the first set designers of the Teatro La Scala - the Ballroom with elegant Lombard baroque stuccos and gilding, the Sala della Caccia, the parade apartment with the splendid Sala Rosa, the wing of the ladies with the mysterious Alcove and the private chapel.
On the ground floor, the Sala Rossa - with its imposing fireplace and late 19th-century neo-Re-naissance atmosphere - and the Sala del Museo, dominated by the statue of Tiberius, traditionally interpreted as the effigy of Pompey the Great, are certainly worth a visit. The Armory and the Library - which still preserves an ancient fund of about 2000 volumes - are very interesting. The Stables are also suggestive, set up on the basis of the ideal Leonardesque stable, with the fountain of the god Neptune. Also on the ground floor there are the Gabinetto dell'Aurora with the oldest fresco of the Villa, and the Funeral Chamber of Gaston de Foix rebuilt in collaboration with the Castello Sforzesco in Milan. Thanks to the enhancement promoted by the Augusto Rancilio Foundation, the Villa and its Garden take on new life, to represent a point of reference and attraction for the cultural, creative and sustainable development of the Milanese area.

The Great Green. Eco-sustainable practices

Villa Arconati is actively committed to promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. Over the years, it has implemented several initiatives:

◈ Energy efficiency
• use of environmentally friendly and sustainable mortars
• water-based restoration materials, compatible with mineral systems, therefore not harmful to the environment

◈ Redevelopment and implementation of plant heritage
• constant monitoring by a qualified agronomist
• replanting of over 1,000 new hornbeam trees to restore the historic paths within the garden
• a quarter of the garden's surface area has been affected by interventions on the plant component

◈ Eco-friendly green space management
• reduction in the use of herbicides
• elimination of the use of insecticides, fungicides, pesticides and synthetic chemical fertilisers
• adoption of natural mulching to limit weeds and irrigation

◈ Water saving
• Recirculating rather than dispersive fountain and water feature systems
• Phytoremediation of the pond and use of water for water features

◈ Enhancement of biodiversity
• Restoration of the nineteenth-century greenhouse
• New project for the introduction of mother plants for flowering and ancient plant species

◈ Environmental education
• The green volunteering project actively involves participants in the care of the woods outside the property and the historic garden, with a concrete commitment to the protection and enhancement of the natural heritage
• Botanical walks in the garden are organised on the theme of environmental sustainability
• Participation in the Grandi Giardini Italiani Botanical Treasure Hunt initiative

◈ Use of eco-friendly materials
• At Caffè Goldoni, only biodegradable and compostable materials are used, completely eliminating single-use plastics
• An electric vehicle is available to facilitate access to the garden, as well as a charging station for electric vehicles, in support of sustainable mobility

◈ Good intentions for 2026
• Installation of a new charging station for electric bicycles
• Introduction of new plants inside the historic greenhouse
• Enhancement of biodiversity along the water channels, creating a favourable habitat for local fauna and pollinators

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl