History
The Gardens of Villa Togni, formerly Averoldi, in the heart of Gussago, are among the most musical gardens in Italy: a place where history, landscape, and the art of sound intertwine in a truly unique way.
The villa was once home to Camillo Togni (1922-1993), one of the most authoritative composers of the twentieth century. His intense artistic activity brought him to the stages of some of the most important musical institutions, including Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, and numerous editions of the Venice Biennale. In 2025, the documentary “Atto Unico - Life and Works of Camillo Togni”, the first film dedicated to the Brescian maestro, is scheduled for release, further strengthening the bond between the Villa, its gardens, and its musical legacy.
The Gardens of Villa Togni cover approximately four hectares and are divided into an eighteenth-century French Garden, an early twentieth-century English Landscape Park, an orchard, and an olive grove. The French Garden follows the classical principles of formal garden design theorized by Le Nôtre and was created-though not without distinctly Italian influences-in the early eighteenth century at the behest of the scholar and renowned man of letters Giulio Antonio Averoldi. The garden's uniqueness lies in its seventeen trompe-l'oeil frescoes which, together with an important hornbeam hedge, frame all the parterres. Eight of these painted “perspectives” are attributed to Ludovico Inganni, a Brescian quadraturist and grandfather of the more famous Angelo Inganni; this is the only documented work by Ludovico that has survived to the present day.
The main core of Villa Togni, formerly Averoldi, stands on a fourteenth-century fortification dating back to the period of Visconti rule over Milan, when the property belonged to the writer Pagnone Raccagni. Within these walls, in 1426, the Conspiracy of Gussago was plotted: a group of local nobles, led by Gherardo Averoldi, conspired against the Visconti and laid siege to Brescia, facilitating the transfer of the city and much of eastern Lombardy under the rule of the Republic of Venice. These events are celebrated in the Villa's most important hall through two frescoes by Ottavio Amigoni, commissioned by Giovanni Battista Averoldi in 1656.
It was Giulio Averoldi (1563-1602) who purchased the medieval fortification and initiated the transformation of the property into a true family pantheon dedicated to the celebration of the Averoldi lineage. In 1836, Giuseppe Averoldi commissioned a major restoration and expansion of the Villa, leading it toward the architectural layout that we can still recognize today.
In 1906, the Villa passed to the Togni family by the will of Giulio Togni (1869-1933), an entrepreneur in the steel industry and great-grandfather of the current owners. He acquired the property and personally oversaw the restoration and rehabilitation works on both the building and the French Garden, assisted by Egidio Dabbeni. The intervention was completed in 1911 with the inauguration of the English Landscape Park, designed by the French architect Pierre André.
Today, the Togni family still resides within the Villa. Since 2020, they have undertaken an important restoration project of the Villa and its Gardens, also supported by the Italian Ministry of Culture through the PNRR Historic Parks and Gardens Program.
Within this context, the Fondazione Domani l'Aurora - Camillo Togni was established, dedicated to the regeneration of cultural heritage. The Foundation's current General Director is harpsichordist and conductor Giulio Francesco Togni, Camillo's great-nephew, who continues the Villa's musical vocation and strengthens its identity as a garden of art and music.
In 2024, the Foundation founded the Domani l'Aurora Ensemble, an orchestra devoted to the performance of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century repertoire using period instruments or faithful reproductions.