Villa Manzoni is a beautiful 18th-century neoclassical villa that houses the Museo Manzoniano.
There is no Italian student who does not know the works of Alessandro Manzoni, in particular his historical novel I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed), the first written in Italian and the first published with illustrations in Italy. The story told is closely linked to the Lecco area, which is mentioned in the very first lines.
Perhaps the many tourists who come here from other countries know a little less, which is why I want to tell you some curious facts.
You should know that the novel was first published in three volumes, between 1825 and 1827, but it was only between 1840 and 1842 that the final version came out, divided into booklets, with illustrations by Francesco Gonin. In the original project, the drawings were supposed to be made by the well-known painter Francesco Hayez, but he considered the work too demanding.
As you enter Villa Manzoni, you will be able to wander around the rooms where the writer spent some of the most carefree moments of his youth, when he could return for parties or summer holidays since he grew up mostly in boarding school. These places had a great impact on him.
The rooms have been redecorated in 19th-century style and reveal to the public a magnificent collection of documents, artefacts and works of art.
The events of The Betrothed have also influenced Italian art and culture in the 20th century, with the creation of paintings, plays, television and film adaptations and even Disney comics.
Among the rooms you’ll visit, I particularly recommend the Sala delle Grisaglie, a ceremonial room where parties were held, and important people were received. It preserves the wonderful original neoclassical pictorial decorations with mythological depictions. Even the magnificent Murano glass chandelier is original: it was brought as a dowry by Alessandro Manzoni's mother when she moved into the villa after her marriage.
I bid you farewell with an interesting fact: Manzoni had about 10,000 copies of The Betrothed printed in 1840-42, but almost half remained unsold and in his possession for a long time, so a few years later, he decided to give them to a primary school in Milan. Perhaps it was a sign of destiny since it is still a subject of study for millions of students today.
