VILLA VISCONTI BORROMEO LITTA: Every Visit is a Journey!
Be enchanted by the Nymphaeum, with its unique water features and playful water tricks, and admire the magnificent frescoed halls of the palace. A captivating and immersive experience that you will never forget!
A visit to Villa Litta in Lainate is a unique experience—a "villa of delights" where art, history, and entertainment mesmerize visitors with the beauty of its mosaics, statues, frescoes, fountains, and water displays. The estate was envisioned around 1585 by Count Pirro I Visconti Borromeo, who took inspiration from Tuscan Medici villas and transformed Lainate into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. He collaborated with renowned artists, including architect Martino Bassi, sculptors Francesco Brambilla the Younger and Marco Antonio Prestinari, and painters Camillo Procaccini, Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli (known as "Il Morazzone"), Agostino Lodola, and Giovanni Battista Maestri (known as "Il Volpino").
The gardens were designed, and the Palace of Waters, commonly known as the Nymphaeum, was constructed. This residence became the setting for grand celebrations and gatherings of artists and intellectuals. The Nymphaeum, with its extraordinary decorations and hydraulic spectacles, remains the most significant and best-preserved example of its kind. Remarkably, it still functions today exactly as it did centuries ago, thanks to sophisticated hydraulic mechanisms operated by skilled fountain keepers.
Following a meticulous restoration, visitors can admire the Wunderkammer, with its mosaic-adorned rooms, sculpture-filled grottoes, automata, and astonishing water displays.
Additionally, guests can explore the frescoed halls of the 16th- and 18th-century palaces and the Historic Park of the Villa (public park section).