Villa Fogazzaro Roi – FAI

There are places that seem suspended in time, impervious to the passage of centuries and the transformations of the landscape. This is the case of Oria, a small village on the Como shores of Lake Lugano, where the pace of life still seems to be 19th century, the same one that marked the days of Antonio Fogazzaro.

The writer spent long periods at villa that today bears his name, finding the’inspiration for “Small Ancient World”, his most famous novel, published in 1896. The atmosphere intimate and domestic which forms the backdrop to the story of Franco and Luisa Maironi remained virtually intact thanks to the Marquis Giuseppe Roi, great-grandson of Fogazzaro, who in the mid-20th century renovated and refurbished the dwelling with great sensitivity before donate it to FAI, so that it would never be distorted.

Even today, the literary suggestion hovers in every room: from the study with the writer's personal memories to the library, from the salon at dining room, to the frescoed gallery and the private dockyard, where in the novel the tragic death of little Ombretta. Making it even more scenic is the roof garden, overlooking a Enchanted panorama of Ceresio, remained largely wild, where the scent of olea fragrans recounts the power of gentle things, as Fogazzaro himself wrote.

Almost unchanged since the writer's time, the Villa Fogazzaro Roi is a two-track journey: in the small bourgeois world of the late 19th century and in the hidden corner of Lombardy much loved by one of great protagonists of our literature.

🕰️ Entry modes

Short visit

• It includes a accompanied tour of about 30 minutes
• Whole: €12
• Reduced (6-25 years): €8

Full visit

• It includes a guided tour of about 60 minutes
• Fixed-time entry (variable according to period and day; the site is updated regularly)
• Whole: €18
• Reduced (6-25 years): €12

📩 For bookings and to take advantage of the convention Abbonamento Musei Lombardia, you are advised to write to: [email protected]