Marvelous isn’t it Villa Durini? We stand before a testament to six centuries of Milanese history. This wasn’t always a grand villa. In the 1400s it was a simple farmstead called Cascina Ronchetto. It belonged to the Corio family. Giovanni Angelo Corio a captain in Galeazzo Maria Visconti’s guard owned it. His family’s coat of arms a lion emerging from a partition and a Gothic C is still visible. You can see a similar one in Milan’s Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio.
The most famous Corio was Bernardino. A scholar at the Sforza court he wrote Patria Historia a valuable history of Milan. After Ludovico Sforza’s defeat in 1499 Bernardino likely retreated here to continue his studies. The villa was enhanced during the Renaissance. The Sala Picta a grand hall possibly a wedding chamber boasts beautiful frescoes. These show dancing cherubs among acanthus leaves. A sophisticated choice the acanthus was common in classical designs. The frescoes include the Corio family’s coat of arms. A Della Robbia-style Madonna adds to the charm.
The Corio family’s line ended. The nuns of Santa Maria della Valle inherited the property. The Durini family wealthy feudal lords of Monza acquired it around 1670. They expanded the villa and its central courtyard. A 17th-century sandstone fireplace and a bas-relief of the Resurrection of Christ are highlights. The Durini family’s coat of arms a blue castle with Guelph towers and an eagle is also present.
In the 1800s architect Luca Beltrami famous for restoring the Castello Sforzesco added Renaissance elements. He built a portico with granite columns and terracotta medallions religious scenes. The portico faces the old farmyard. In 1984 the Beltrami-Gadola family partially sold the property to the city. The Casassa family of Turin acquired it in 2006. They undertook extensive restoration.
Today Villa Durini stands proudly. It’s a mix of ages styles and families. The frescoes tell stories of love art and power. The building itself is a story of endurance and transformation. Each stone speaks of its rich past. Villa Durini it truly is a place of Milanese history.