Novità!
The Villa Carlotta Museum located on the western shore of Lake Como, was brought to its greatest splendor by a great art collector, Gian Battista Sommariva.
The location of the Villa Carlotta Museum has made the structure famous for the blooming of azaleas and rhododendrons that can be admired in the botanical garden in spring.
Thanks to the collector Gian Battista Sommariva, the villa was transformed into a museum with the first masterpieces of the most important artists of the time such as Canova and Hayez.
Here the entire Sommariva family contributes to the creation of an artistic environment.
Following the death of the youngest son, the rooms of the residence were renovated both in decorations and furnishings.
Subsequently, in the 19th century, the entire property was donated to Giorgio II whose main interest was to enrich the garden with exotic and very rare plants.
Finally, during the First World War the Italian state confiscated the property and entrusted it to the Ente Morale Villa Carlotta, established in 1927.
The collections of neoclassical sculptures, paintings and cameos of Villa Carlotta are located on the ground floor and have remained the same as those desired by Sommariva.
Among the various works stand out the sculptures of Antonio Canova and Berthel Thorvaldsen.
In particular, of Antonio Canova it is possible to admire the marbles, including “Amor and Psyche“, the most famous work of the entire villa.
There are also historical friezes, such as that of Thorvaldsen which recalls the entry of Alexander the Great into Babylon.
As for the paintings, the place of honor goes to the famous work by Francesco Hayez which represents the farewell of Romeo and Juliet, with the image of the famous kiss dated 1823.
Francesco Hayez painted the famous picture commissioned by Sommariva and, for its creation, was inspired by the famous tragedy by Shakespeare.
It is thanks to the purchase of this oil painting on canvas that the collector Gian Battista Sommariva directed his passion towards romantic art.
