Villa Garovaglio Ricci: From Silk Mill to Villa

Up to the middle of the 19th century, the complex was used as a silk mill. The subsequent owner – archaeologist Alfonso Garovaglio – , aided by the painter Ludovico Pogliaghi, reconstructed the building into a country residence which would host the interesting finds he had collected during his travels in Italy and the Middle East.

Over the course of time he created an authentic museum for cultural history from the Stone Age up to the present. Here, he exposed objects of utility, arts and crafts as well as cultic objects, with special regards to the Ancient Egyptian and the Etruscan and Roman cultures. For that purpose he decorated specific scenographic rooms like the „Egyptian Room“ and the „Pompeian room“.

When Alfonso Garovaglio died, his heirs donated this famous collection to the Como Museum where it is still visible today. Ignazio Vigoni bought the estate in 1966.

At present, the building hosts the offices of the Villa Vigoni Association and the modern conference room.