Garden of Villa Sola Cabiati
Address: Via Giuseppe Parini, 20064, Gorgonzola (MI).
Agency owner: The Sola Cabiati garden is just one of the ex-Serbelloni’s properties within the City of Gorgonzola. The Serbelloni’ family extinguished with the Duke Gian Galeazzo, and from that moment on the estate continued through the female line of the family, until Antoinette Busca, grandnephew of the Duca. The marriage of the latter with Andrea Sola Cabiati was responsible for the transfer of ownership of the asset. The current owner is the City of Gorgonzola since 2000.
Structure typlology: Until the 1808 the garden responded to the Florentine fashion of the Italian gardens of the Sixteenth century, characterized by geometric spaces, limited by rows of trees and evergreen hedges, fountains, ponds and statues. In 1808 the architect Simone Cantoni (1739-1818) transformed it into an English garden, naturalistic and informal, in which he disposed elements like the forest, the fake cave, temples and ruins.
Extension: 40,000 sqm.
Date: 1571
Accessibility: The garden is open to the public during the following hours:
from October to March: 8:00 to 17:30
from April to September: 8:00 to 20:00
The park could be closed by the staff in the event of adverse weather conditions for the safety of the citizenry.
Invalid Displayed Gallery
The Garden
At the beginning of the XVI century, the Serbelloni’ Family received the important guest (like the Sforzas) in the Castle of Gorgonzola, located to the south entrance of the village, accessible by water. With the new artificial route of the canal during the Sixteenth century, the fortress was restored to a villa with an extensive kitchen garden facing south. Towards the end of the Eighteenth century the appearance was now that of a vast garden that meets the tastes of the ducal family and their guest Parini. Between the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the garden got the features, remarked as “romantic”, still present nowadays: private corners, niches, woods and a wonderful hill with a pond in front of it, accessible on a boat.
The exotic plants imported in the nineteenth century were reproduced and stabilized, and due to the sensitivity of the garden’s workers, all sorts of plants are marked with a didactic text. The garden is a clear case of green area in symbiosis with the canal, from which it draws water currents and to which is connected via bike path that runs along the Alzaia, in one of the most striking places of Martesana.
State of conservation of the Garden
The state of preservation of the garden is good, ordinary maintenance is regularly undertaken by the municipality. Cutting and pruning of trees and shrubs for security reasons and to protect the natural heritage are possibly attended by the municipality itself.
When the Park was donated to the City, new gates were opened in the wall, a new fence to the villa created, avenues expanded, partly paved with stone gravel to make it easier to enjoy for the citizenship. It was also introduced an avenue that still runs around the perimeter of the pond, which banks are also reinforced with stone walls. a play area for children is also located within the park, in the west of the garden.