SHARRYLAND
Where is
What it is and where it is
Villa Borri Manzoli is located in Piazza del Popolo in an area of Corbetta that is highly frequented by citizens. Passing through the large gate at the entrance, one finds oneself among rose gardens and slender palm trees that anticipate the villa's red brick facade, with its double central portico formed by six lowered arches in Baroque style, held up by twin columns. The juxtaposition of white side surfaces and red bricks lends elegance to the front of the villa.
Why it is special
The neoclassical-style garden accessed from the main hall at the rear of the villa is the jewel that embellishes the entire structure. More than just a garden, it is a large park that stretches for about three hectares and is full of tall trees, among which stands out majestically an exceptional plane tree, probably over two hundred years old! The park is traversed by the Madonna fountain, which originates in the center of Corbetta and runs out into the countryside to the south, where it is used to convey water for irrigation, derived from the Villoresi canal. On its banks, favored by its southern exposure, banana trees and dense bamboo reeds thrive.
Not to be missed
The interior, however, also holds great surprises, such as the frescoes in the Napoleonic Room where two statues dominate: on one side the goddess of hunting Diana, on the other that of Ceres; or the music room with mirrors and a grand piano; and then the hall of coats of arms with Carlo Borri's initials on the ceiling; the hunting room with depictions of weapons and wild animals. Finally, the orangery, which is a space that was used to house citrus and other fruit and/or exotic plants during the winter period, in regions where the climate did not allow specimens to survive outside.
A bit of history
The Borri family had a vivid participation in the history of Milan as far back as the 12th century. Lanfranco Scarsino Borri, progenitor of the family, shrewdly supported the Visconti in their feud against the Torriani, thus securing privileges and possessions for the family, even giving his daughter Violante in marriage to Gian Galeazzo. The Borri family, originally from Santo Stefano Ticino, owned property in the Corbetta countryside, and since the 1400s the concession of water from the Madonna fountain is documented, which to this day runs through the center of Corbetta and the main gardens, including that of the villa.
Curiosities
In addition to the frescoes in the various rooms, it is known that in 1840, a large part of the villa on the west side was leased to a company that owned a silk spinning mill, this activity being then important in the Corbetta area. As a function of the spinning wheel, the rustic building placed as a continuation of the south front of the villa was added in 1890. Unfortunately, the spinning wheel, with the acquiescence of the owners ended up encroaching on the part of the noble rooms on both the ground and second floors. The firm ceased operations at the beginning of World War I, the owners being of Germanic origin, and the halls returned to their original functions of representation.
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