Isola Bella Celebrates Founder Vitaliano VI Borromeo with Exhibition

Isola Bella, reopened to the public on May 18 alongside Isola Madre, Rocca di Angera, and Parco Pallavicino, honors its founder Vitaliano VI Borromeo with a three-section exhibition tracing his life and work. Housed in the grand salon completed by his descendant Vitaliano IX in 1956, the show includes a section on Vitaliano VI's biography, a reconstruction of the palace and gardens' design phases, and a display of paintings, sculptures, and furnishings—many never before exhibited—intended for the palace interiors. Vitaliano VI (born 1620) pursued a military and diplomatic career, corresponding with prominent figures of his era. In 1650 he took over the project begun by his father Carlo III around 1630 to create a garden on the islet called Isola Isabella, transforming it into a Baroque scenography with a majestic palace. His correspondence with architect Giberto III, a cardinal in Rome, reveals discussions on design and decorative choices, sometimes sketched in margins. The palace later acquired new figurative contributions, but the Baroque core remains visible in many rooms. Vitaliano VI was an avid collector, assembling a Wunderkammer of rare stones, marbles, painted alabasters, landscape paintings, and frames adorned with rock crystal, agate, and lapis lazuli. The garden features stone mosaic structures, statues, and fountains creating green theaters.