Enter the evocative historic rooms, decorated with 14th century frescoes, the very rich Doll Museum and the Medieval Garden park. A fun trip back in time to explore the Rocca di Angera which dominates the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore
The Castle is open to the public from March to November. In addition to visiting the Halls, there is also the Doll and Toy Museum which is the largest of its kind in Europe with collections of precious dolls and period toys.
Outside, the Medieval Garden transforms into the perfect place to discover new and unusual botanical varieties and appreciate the simplicity of the plants cultivated since ancient times.
Rocca di Angera
In a strategic position for the control of traffic, historiographical tradition links the events of Angera to the Visconti family and its success after the victory in the battle of Desio in 1277, celebrated in the frescoes of the Hall of Justice.
In recent years the Rocca di Angera has been the subject of a careful restoration commissioned by Princess Bona Borromeo who wanted to restore the Castle to its ancient splendor and give visitors its refined collections, giving life to the Doll and Toy Museum largest in Europe.
The Historic Rooms
The wonder of the colors of the 14th century frescoes
The spectacular Rocca di Angera is the perfectly harmonious result of five different buildings, built from the century after the 1000s to the 17th century: the Castellana Tower, the Scaligera Wing, the Visconti Wing, the Torre by Giovanni Visconti, the Borromeo Wing.
It is impossible not to be surprised by the size and grandeur of this building and by the solemnity of the rooms of the Good Roman, of the Mythology, of the Ceremonies, of San Carlo, of the Fasti Borromeo where large canvases, portraits and furnishings take you back to ancient times.
Doll and Toy Museum
The largest in Europe where Special Lights and Sounds create a visiting experience suspended in a magical reality
12 rooms located in the Viscontea and Borromea Wing, which are flanked by two monothematic sections: one dedicated to dolls from non-European cultures and the other to 19th and 20th century automatons.
Over a thousand dolls made from the 18th century to today, dressed and accompanied by precious accessories. Also on display are toys and furniture models from the collection of Roberta della Seta Sommi Picenardi:
Ala Scaligera
It takes its name from the Heraldic motifs frescoed on the large walls
space dedicated to Contemporary Art exhibitions: artistic creativity projects that take shape within six rooms, in a stimulating dialogue between past and present.
The Medieval Garden
A timeless place organized in different areas, where beauty means simplicity and spontaneity, and where Officinal flowers and herbs follow the vital cycles of nature and the seasons.
A grove of hazelnuts, cypresses and holm oaks border a small stream that leads to the pond, where the irises bloom among the goldfish.
The garden comes to life in the Small Herb Garden, which gathers medicinal herbs, dyes and useful herbs and flowers in twelve flowerbeds, grouped according to their function. In total it has around 100 essences.
The Rose Garden is the heart of the Garden of the Princes and its shady pergola built around a fountain. Listening to the sound of water while admiring the lake is an experience of relaxation and disconnection from the frenetic world.
Perennial flowering plants color the garden all year round, even in the Verziere area where vegetables and aromatic herbs grown in boxes are surrounded by azeruoles, quinces, apple trees and pomegranates.
Opening to the public: from March to November
Rocca di Angera
Via Rocca Castello 2
Angera (Varese)
Lombardy – Italy
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