A little piece of Florence in Lugano

Villa Ciani is a historic residence built between 1840 and 1843 by brothers Giacomo and Filippo Ciani, members of a family from Blenio (Ticino), but based in Milan at least since the eighteenth century.

At that time Milan was under the domination of the Austrians and the Ciani supported the Carbonara conspiracy participating in the uprisings of independence. For fear of being arrested, in 1822 they left Milan and after touring Europe they settled permanently to Lugano where they obtained the Ticino citizenship.

Giacomo was politically active at both local and federal levels and gave impetus to hotel tourism in Lugano with the construction of the Hôtel du Parc.

Filippo, the younger brother, among other things promoted the construction of a new prison in Lugano. He showed sensitivity to popular education through numerous philanthropic initiatives, including the foundation of a kindergarten in Lugano.

In Lugano, the two brothers acquired as their own residence the villa on the shores of Lake Ceresio that stood on the foundations of a castle once belonged to the Dukes of Milan in the Sforzesca era. From that moment on, the villa - immersed in a vast park of 63'000 square meters overlooking the lake - will take their name.

After the death of the two brothers, the City of Lugano bought the Villa - in 1912 - which became the Museum of History and the Civic Museum of Fine Arts. Still today, inside his halls you can admire paintings and sculptures dating back to Ciani's period.

by Pietro Montorfani
Archivio Storico Città di Lugano

On the seventh centenary of Dante Alighieri's death, celebrated with great honors all over the world, we must mention that even in Lugano there is a little piece of medieval Florence, hanging on the walls of Villa Ciani. In the Sala degli Specchi (Hall of Mirrors), in fact, you will find a large canvas by the Ticino painter Antonio Ciseri (1821-1891), whose important anniversary we also celebrate this year, dedicated to the Esilio di Giano della Bella. Florentine politician contemporary of Dante, Giano was expelled from Florence a few years before the famous poet, for having raised the people against the magnates and having imposed a democratic order too radical for the times. Dante, who shared the political vision, although considering it too extreme, recalled it in the XVI canto of the Paradiso:

"da esso ebbe milizia e privilegio;
avvegna che con popol si rauni
oggi colui che la fascia col fregio"

But why is such a piece of art at Villa Ciani? Antonio Ciseri, belonging to the same historical school as Francesco Hayez, used to transfigure contemporary themes into scenes of the time: in the medieval exile of Giano della Bella he meant to allude to the many forced peregrinations of which the liberals of the Renaissance were victims, including the Ciani brothers, owners of the villa. Another famous painting by Ciseri, also belonging to the City of Lugano, is not for nothing called, in fact, L'esule (The exile).

For some years now, the Villa, internally connected to the Palazzo dei Congressi, has been part of the Lugano Convention & Exhibition facilities and, as such, can be rented as a location for special events, such as weddings, seminars, product presentations, etc.

We would like to end this short tour of Villa Ciani with a curiosity. Few people, even locals, know that only a few years ago the remains of the Ciani brothers finally returned to Lugano. Giacomo and Filippo can finally rest together in their monumental tomb in the Lugano cemetery.

More information on Villa Ciani