Milan's Villa Belgiojoso Garden Gets €2M Renovation, May Open to All Adults
Milan's Comune has allocated €2 million to restore the garden of Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte, a historic English-style park where adults are only allowed if accompanied by children under 12. The garden, designed by Leopoldo Pollack in the late 18th century, is Italy's first English garden and houses sculptures by Adolf Wildt and Fausto Melotti. The renovation, part of a broader Villa Reale enhancement program, may eventually open the garden to all visitors of the Galleria d'Arte Moderna and Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, while preserving its child-focused identity. Currently, access is via Via Palestro 8, with enforcement by volunteer ecological guards.
Key facts
- Comune di Milano allocates €2 million for garden renovation
- Adults allowed only if accompanied by children under 12
- Garden is first English-style garden in Milan, designed by Leopoldo Pollack
- Commissioned by Count Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso in late 1700s
- Villa became property of Comune in 1921, now houses Galleria d'Arte Moderna
- Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea added in 1954
- Sculptures include Adolf Wildt's 'Trilogia' (1912) and Fausto Melotti's 'I sette savi' (1981)
- Future plan may allow all visitors of adjacent museums to enter
Entities
Artists
- Leopoldo Pollack
- Adolf Wildt
- Fausto Melotti
- Ettore Silva
- Ercole Silva
- Giuseppe Piermarini
Institutions
- Comune di Milano
- Galleria d'Arte Moderna
- Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea
- Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte
- Villa Reale
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Via Palestro 8, Milan