VILLA GIULIA
(VERBANIA)

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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