Photo: Carlo Dell'Orto, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
At a glance
- Style
- Renaissance architecture
- Architect
- Domenico Giunti
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 45°29′29″ N, 9°10′06″ E
- Address
- Via Stilicone 36
History and description
Villa Simonetta is a villa Renaissance located in Milan at Via Stilicone 36, built at the end of the 15th century and then enlarged and renovated several times. Today, the villa is municipal property and is home to the Civica Scuola di Musica «Claudio Abbado».
History
The main nucleus of the villa, with a rectangular plan, was built between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the XVI at the behest of Gualtiero Bascapè, chancellor of Ludovico il Moro, who had bought the land (then a farm in the open country) from the Ospedale Maggiore. Bescapé lived in the villa, then called 'La Gualtiera', for only two years before his death. After his death, the villa changed hands, belonging among other things to the Rabia family; in the same decades, extension and renovation works are documented (e.g. in 1531). In 1544, the house was sold to Gian Paolo Cicogna, and later became the property of the governor of Milan Ferrante I Gonzaga.
In 1547 Gonzaga entrusted the architect Prato (Italy) Domenico Giuntalodi the task of renovating the villa and enlarging it, transforming it into a luxurious representative residence. It was Giunti who introduced the side wings (and thus the current U-shaped plan) and the portico on the façade. In 1555, when Gonzaga was recalled to Spain, the villa passed to the Simonetta family, becoming one of the most prestigious buildings in baroque Milan. Other changes in ownership followed, which between the XVII century and the 19th century brought Villa Simonetta into the hands of several families, including the Castelbarco, Clerici and Osculati families.
The appearance of Villa Simonetta in the 18th century is documented by the treatise Ville di delizia o sieno palagi camparecci nello stato di Milano of 1726, in which we read:
At a distance of almost two miles from the city of Milan towards the north, we see the famous villa known as la Simonetta, because it is owned by the very noble Simonetta House. This is of ancient structure as it was built in the middle of the tenth sixth century, and in those times bore the boast of being one of the most famous in Italy. At the present time, it is still a remarkable palace, and is very renowned throughout Europe, due to its prodigious echo, which repeats the same voice up to thirty and more times. The effect, however, comes only from a specific site, that is, from a window on the third floor situated in the middle of the western flank towards the inner part of the courtyard …
Description
Two porticoed side wings were added to the main body of the villa in the 16th century, giving it its present U-shaped plan. Also from the 16th century, but subsequent to the wings, is the arcaded loggia attached to the façade.
The U-shaped plan opens towards the garden. The classical-style façade includes a nine-arched portico, with a barrel vault, supported by pillars adorned with Tuscan-style semicolumns resting on square plinths. The portico is surmounted by two orders of logge with balustrades, one with Tuscan columns and the other with columns with Corinthian capitals.
The side facing the garden, opposite the façade, is simpler; at either end, on the top floor, the outer walls open into two symmetrical loggias.
The entire villa was originally frescoed with paintings depicting the exploits of the Gonzaga, of which only a few fragments remain.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Villa Simonetta».
People
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
Milano LancettiTrain, nearest
700 m as the crow flies
Villa SimonettaVia Stilicone 36
Aeroporto di Milano-Linate9.5 km
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the mapMore historic villas and palaces in Lombardy
Frequently asked questions
Where is Villa Simonetta?
Villa Simonetta is in Milan, in the province of Milano (Lombardy), Italy. Address: Via Stilicone 36. GPS coordinates: 45.49143, 9.16840.
What else is there to see near Villa Simonetta?
Nearby you’ll find: Museo del profumo (300 m away), Fabbrica Del Vapore (900 m away), Museo Collezione Branca (900 m away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 9 photos
- Villa Simonetta 02 — Carlo Dell'Orto, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 20170920-1 villa simonetta — roberto monevi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20170920-2 villa simonetta — roberto monevi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20170920-3 villa simonetta — roberto monevi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- MI villa Simonetta — Bramfab, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Milano - cortile di villa Simonetta - 202209292019 2 — Ottantafame, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Milano - villa Simonetta - 202209292019 — Ottantafame, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Villa Simonetta 01 — Carlo Dell'Orto, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Villa Simonetta a01 — Alberto Panzani, CC BY-SA 4.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences