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The
history of Villa Giulia is closely tied to the vicissitudes of the Branca family.  It was built in1847 by Bernardino Branca,
who, in 1836, invented Fernet Branca, one of the most famous Italian liquors. His son decided to call it "Villa Giulia" in
honor of his wife. Through the acquisition of adjacent lands he enlarged the property and extended it towards the lake. But
an original containment wall sunk disastrously into the lake in 1879 taking with it a great flight of steps, the
remains of which can still be seen today when the lake is low. A second attempt was more fortunate.
It was realized by digging down through the lake bottom
until solid rock was found and then building foundations upon which the retaining walls of the garden were anchored. In
the meantime Cav. Branca entrusted the architect Giuseppe Pirovano with the drafting of a project to renovate the property.
The first undertaking was the creation of an imposing entrance gate. Then a private dock was built on which a terrace with
a bower and garden was created. Artificial grottoes were also added. Near the entrance to the villa a small chalet
served as the gatehouse until it was transformed into a billiards room. The garden, already beautiful, was replanted
according to English dictates. And finally, in 1882, the family home was given its present appearance.
The edifice was enlarged by extending the facade 10 meters towards the lake and adding a series of
loggias and columns on each floor ending with a great curving rooftop terrace as a final touch. This facade 
is in net contrast to the side facing the street which has a very austere and simple appearance,
almost "medieval" in style. In 1904 Guilia was left a widow and remarried Count Melzi d'Eril who
enlarged the villa again and introduced Art Nouveau elements, much in vogue at the time, into the building's interiors.
In December 1932 Villa Giulia was acquired by the "Azienda Autonoma di Cura, Soggiorno e Turismo" with the aim of giving
Pallanza a municipal casino and a more hospitable "casa di ritrovo del forestiero" or meeting
place and information office for tourists. Villa Giulia then became the Kursaal, and was enlarged
again in 1955 with the creation of two large halls, one on a lower level and accessible from the garden
and the other on the first floor, to be used for conferences, exhibitions and concerts. In 1959 the dock was transformed
so as to create offices at street level for the Azienda Autonoma. This project eliminated the decorative artificial
grottoes created by Pirovano and rendered the dock unusable when the level of the lake reached certain heights.
In 1987 the Piedmont Region had Villa Giulia and its park transferred to the
municipality of Verbania. Today conventions,
concerts and other important cultural events are held here.
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