On Valentine's Day, celebrate love with one of the most famous kisses in art history.
The painting ''Romeo's Last Kiss to Juliet'' by Francesco Hayez (1823), purchased by Giovanni Battista Sommariva for his villa in Tremezzo-now Villa Carlotta-recounts the two lovers' farewell at dawn, after a night spent together in secret.
Romeo secures a rope to his beloved's window and prepares to escape; from the door, the elderly maid warns the young couple of the imminent arrival of Juliet's mother. There is no time left: before parting, Romeo steals one last, intense kiss from Juliet.
Presented for the first time at the Brera Exhibition in 1823, the work caused a sensation and is still considered one of the most emblematic images of Italian Romanticism.
On Valentine's Day, Villa Carlotta is offering a special guided tour of the famous painting. The tour will delve deeper into the subject, starting with the popular sixteenth-century tale by Luigi Da Porto, a source of inspiration for Shakespeare, and will illustrate Hayez's painting technique, with particular attention to his masterful use of color.
A journey inside the work that will conclude with an aperitif reserved for all participating couples.
The painting ''Romeo's Last Kiss to Juliet'' by Francesco Hayez (1823), purchased by Giovanni Battista Sommariva for his villa in Tremezzo-now Villa Carlotta-recounts the two lovers' farewell at dawn, after a night spent together in secret.
Romeo secures a rope to his beloved's window and prepares to escape; from the door, the elderly maid warns the young couple of the imminent arrival of Juliet's mother. There is no time left: before parting, Romeo steals one last, intense kiss from Juliet.
Presented for the first time at the Brera Exhibition in 1823, the work caused a sensation and is still considered one of the most emblematic images of Italian Romanticism.
On Valentine's Day, Villa Carlotta is offering a special guided tour of the famous painting. The tour will delve deeper into the subject, starting with the popular sixteenth-century tale by Luigi Da Porto, a source of inspiration for Shakespeare, and will illustrate Hayez's painting technique, with particular attention to his masterful use of color.
A journey inside the work that will conclude with an aperitif reserved for all participating couples.