Once the residence of the writer Antonio Fogazzaro, Villa Fogazzaro Roi in Oria (hamlet of Valsolda), a small borgo on the Como shore of Lake Lugano, was the inspiration for the setting and composition of Piccolo mondo antico (The Little World of the Past), his best-known novel, published in 1896. Almost entirely unaltered since then, the Villa offers a glimpse of the world of the late 19th century bourgeoisie.
Marquis Giuseppe Roi, the writer’s great grandson, renovated and furnished every room before leaving the villa to FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano with the proviso that it should not be changed after his death. This has ensured that a literary atmosphere permeates the entire villa, from the study with the writer’s personal effects to the library, from the drawing room to dining room, to the frescoed gallery and the private dock where the tragic death of little Ombretta takes place in the book. It is all made more striking by the enchanting hanging garden that overlooks Lake Ceresio, still mostly wild, with the intense fragrance of olea fragrans which “whispered in a corner of the power of kind things”. The villa was donated to FAI by Giuseppe Roi in 2009.
FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Via Carlo Foldi 2 - 20135 Milano
Phone: +39 02 46 76 15 393
Email: m.pizzorni@fondoambiente.it
