“Ready to uncover a hidden gem?” Villa Gernetto stands before us. It is not just a villa. It is a story etched in stone and whispered through the Lombardian winds.
Villa Gernetto is also known as Villa Mellerio or Villa Somaglia. It sits in Gerno. Gerno is a small part of Lesmo. Lesmo is a commune within Monza and Brianza. This area is in Lombardy.
Imagine this site centuries ago. In the fifth and sixth centuries a fortress stood here. It had a tower. People escaping the sacked city of Milan sought shelter within it.
Fast forward to 1818. A treasure was unearthed. Within the park, 273 Roman gold coins were discovered. They dated back to the late Roman Empire.
The story of Villa Gernetto continues. In the 1600s the Marchesi Molinari bought the property. They transformed the fort into a country house. Then the Mellerio family acquired it in the 1700s.
The late 1700s brought Simone Cantoni. He began building the Villa Gernetto we see today. Gianbattista Mellerio expanded it. In 1815, architect Gian Luca della Somaglia added his touch. He designed the courtyard. He also designed the chapel. It is dedicated to San Carlo. Somaglia also created the bridge in the park. He designed the terraced garden. People considered it a marvel. They admired its design and rare plants.
Villa Gernetto became famous. It was celebrated in the early 1800s. Count Giacomo Mellerio hosted grand receptions here. He was the vice president of the Government of Lombardy-Veneto in 1816. The villa was richly decorated. Canova created two funerary bas-reliefs for the chapel. Fabris created other sculptures.
In 1975, Credito Italiano bought the complex. They made it a training center. They added the old stables and barns. Later, Pirelli & C. Real Estate owned it. Silvio Berlusconi’s Fininvest Sviluppi Immobiliari S.p.A. purchased Villa Gernetto in 2007. Restoration began in 2008.
Berlusconi planned something special. He envisioned the “Universitas Libertatis”. Villa Gernetto was to be its home. The project aimed to create a university. It would host lectures and academic events. The location was chosen 15 years prior. The villa spans 24000 square meters. It has 60 bedrooms. It even has a cinema with 80 seats. Artisans from Brianza crafted the parquet floors.
In 2019, Fininvest put Villa Gernetto up for sale. The sale did not happen. Today, it is rented out for conferences. It also hosts retreats for the Monza football team.
But the “Universitas Libertatis” idea didn’t die. Berlusconi collaborated with Stefano Bandecchi. Bandecchi owns the Unicusano online university. Unicusano would provide the online platform. The new institution was to be named “Universitas”. It could not officially be called a “university”. The cost was estimated at around one thousand euros. Scholarships would be available. After Berlusconi’s death his heirs had to decide what the future use of the Villa Gernetto should be. They estimated the value of the building to be around 45 million euros.
Villa Gernetto remains a landmark. It has witnessed centuries of history. Its walls echo with stories of power, art, and ambition. As we stand here, we are connected to that past. The villa shows the ongoing story of Lombardy. It bridges tradition and modernity.