AM Club | Verbania: Villa Giulia and the Landscape Museum

A day in Verbania, with the first stop a visit to Villa Giulia hosting the exhibition Medlar Universe. An elegant residence overlooking Lake Maggiore, it was purchased in 1880 by Giuseppe Branca, the inventor of Fernet. Dedicated to his wife, the villa was enlarged and surrounded by an English-style park. Over time it became a place of meeting and culture, with a dock, artificial grottoes and a noble salon overlooking the lake. The garden, with rare trees such as the cork oak, can be visited free of charge. A place rich in history, immersed in the scenic beauty of Verbania Pallanza.

The exhibition Medlar Universe collects more than 100 works spanning almost sixty years of the artist's career, famous for having traversed movements such as Futurism, Dadaism, Arte Povera and Pop Art with originality and irony.

Painting, photography, ceramics, wood, Murano glass and experimental cinema are just some of the languages used by Nespolo, whose creativity has contaminated unusual fields such as design, fashion and opera set design. The exhibition unfolds along 14 thematic spaces that give the sense of a kaleidoscopic and constantly evolving oeuvre, with works ranging from his youthful works to the recent Dark Side series. Particularly significant is the section dedicated to New York's photographic production and that of the artist's books. After free time for lunch, at 2.30 p.m. we visit the Museum of the Landscape set up in the spaces of Palazzo Viani Dugnani which exhibits the most significant collection of works of art on Lake Maggiore. Paintings and sculptures, from the late 19th to the early 20th century, tell of the area's ability to attract and host artists of international importance: Ranzoni, Troubetzkoy, Tozzi, Martini, among others.

Founded in 1909 as the Museo Storico Artistico del Verbano e delle Valli adiacenti by Antonio Massara. Completely renovated in its layout, it houses the painting and sculpture collections. The most consistent and significant nucleus of the picture gallery is represented by Lombard and Piedmontese painting from the late 19th and early 20th century. The sculpture section includes the gallery of plaster casts, which houses 340 works by the Impressionist sculptor Paolo Troubetzkoy (1866-1938) and the significant nuclei of works by Giulio Branca (1850-1926) - representative of 19th-century commemorative and historical sculpture - and Arturo Martini (1889-1947), considered the most important Italian sculptor between the two wars.

• Departure: from Turin 7.00 am (Corso San Martino, corner of Piazza XVIII Dicembre)
• Return: in Turin at around 7.30 p.m.
• Cost of the trip: € 49,00
• Info and reservations: click here
• Route in collaboration with Piemonturismo