Toscolano Maderno and Milan University Sign Agreement for Serraglio Villa Restoration
The mayor of Toscolano Maderno, Paolo Elena, and the rector of Statale di Milano, Prof. Paolo Mantegazza, have drafted a memorandum of understanding for the Serraglio, that is, the Liberty-style villa (about 1,000 square meters covered) and the park, located in a splendid position overlooking the gulf. The property will be granted in a free usufruct for 50 years, renewable, to the university, which will carry out renovation and adaptation work, as well as extraordinary and ordinary maintenance. The park will be restored and enhanced. The ponds, small bridges, fountains, channels, and hydraulic structures will need to be restored. The access road, starting from the main gate, also requires repairs.
Project and Expected Interventions
“A project worth at least 3 billion euros, already examined by the municipal technical office and the Superintendence, which has given a preliminary favorable opinion,” explains the mayor. “Regarding the building, only volume increases will be made for technical reasons: I am referring to the construction of the elevator and the ramp for disabled access. It will therefore be necessary to install heating and air conditioning systems, bring the electrical system up to code, and furnish the interiors.”
Activities at the Serraglio villa will include educational, research, training, and professional qualification events, as well as conferences. The municipality will also use it for concerts or conferences on scheduled days, depending on availability, without interfering with its main activities. City police and staff from the Regione delle Foreste (Regional Forestry Authority) will be able to enter at any time for inspections.
The park, rich in plant species of notable interest (cedars, maples, oleanders, bougainvillea, rhododendrons, cypresses, etc.), will be divided into two distinct areas: one with exclusive rights for the university, and the other open to the public (opening hours 8 am-7 pm, in summer 7 am-10 pm).
The draft of the memorandum will be examined by the municipal council convened for Friday, March 9, and by the university administrators for potential revisions. Afterwards, it will be signed. Yesterday, Mantegazza and others were expected on Lake Garda, including Prof. Enrico De Cleva, deputy rector; Prof. Fabrizio Conca, dean of the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy; and Giovanni Sala, head of the Department of Biology. However, at the last minute, the meeting was postponed.
The Serraglio was the hunting lodge of the Gonzaga family, who arrived by lake and then ascended via an underground tunnel. After World War II, it became a fashionable hotel, later the residence of Gian Battista Benoni. Discussed by Gabriele d’Annunzio and his secretary Tom Antongini (who eventually chose Villa Cargnacco in Gardone Riviera, gradually transforming it into the Vittoriale), during the 1970s it was at the center of a complex real estate operation. Finbeni, owned by Andrea Stefanina, obtained permission to build apartments containing six thousand cubic meters (a horizontal block in the lower part, near Via Aquilani) in exchange for ceding the villa and park.
In 1985, a landslide caused by tree removal led to legal repercussions and forced the neighboring private owners to carry out consolidation work on the retaining wall. Abandoned and neglected, the villa became a target for thieves and vandals, who stole or damaged remaining furnishings: paintings and tapestries removed, broken or missing windows. Evidence of fires was visible on the marble floor. Numerous mattresses were scattered around—indicative that someone had been sleeping there.
In 1996, there was heated debate about transforming it into a medical and rehabilitative treatment center for conditions such as osteoarthritis, ischemic and cerebrovascular diseases, and heart conditions, taking advantage of the mild climate and full sunlight exposure. However, the idea of holding a public tender to lease the building gratis for a set number of years (private entities would have needed to spend at least a couple of billion euros for complete renovation) was eventually abandoned.
Last year, the idea was raised to negotiate with the university. Now, following the drafting of a letter of intent, there is the draft memorandum of understanding—another step forward.