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Villa Finzi is in Gorla district, near the Martesana canal, surrounded by a park of about 12 acres. The Villa was originally mentioned in XVIII century, then was purchased by the family of Count Batthyany, of ancient Hungarian origins, who wanted to surprise his contemporaries with a new project featuring a pond, a cave, and what is thought to be an ice hut. Inside the building, he had also a peculiar round room and a small temple built (the “Temple of the Night”).

Another interesting structure in the park is the neoclassical Temple of Innocence, with a circular plan embellished by eight open-air columns inside a pond.

Very little of the original garden is left, although all its peculiar attractions made it one of the most favoured by the aristocracy of the mid-XIX century. Prospero Finzi purchased the Villa from the heirs of Count Batthyany. Later on, the Villa became the property of Finzi’s wife who, in the mid-XIX century, made it available for assisting the poor and the needy.
In 1920, it became the headquarters of the movie company Rosa Film.
The residents of Gorla district strongly opposed any further partial sale of the Villa, which was eventually bought by the Municipality in 1936.

As previously mentioned, very little is left of the original beautiful English garden and its structures: today, there is a school and several public assistance organizations in the building.

“A park arranged as an English garden, with winding avenues, grassy carpets and groves in which several delightful buildings and houses are scattered with a wealth of service rooms and garden decorations…” Prospero Finzi described it.
Today, there is only a horse chestnut, a paper mulberry, children playgrounds, a refreshment kiosk, and daycare facility for the elderly.

Photo source: www.comune.milano.it

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)