Villa Cagnola – Gazzada Schianno

Villa Cagnola is a monumental 18^th century complex on a hill in Gazzada Schianno (province of Varese). It belongs to the Sede Apostolica today and houses the Higher Institute of Religious Studies, a conference centre and a restaurant.
The villa comprises two rectangular buildings linked by a perpendicular wing with a spacious ground floor portico. The main building faces west over a terraced Italian garden with a view over the park embellished with hedges and fountains.
The villa houses the Cagnola collection of paintings by great masters from the 13^th to 19^th centuries, tapestries, sculptures, bronze plaques, furniture, majolica and porcelain created by the foremost manufacturers of Europe and a priceless collection of Eastern ceramics.
Framing the villa, the English style park on the hill contains imposing and prestigious trees including cedars of Lebanon, Himalayan cedars, Atlas cedars, tulip trees, oaks and magnolias dating back centuries, imposing plane trees, red beeches and sequoias. The park also features a square tower with a sloping base. Its mixed stone walls have ashlar cladding at the corners and four triple windows with terracotta frames at the upper room.

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