The history of the palace
A 17th-century pleasure building, Palazzo Arese Borromeo is one of the main noble residences in Lombardy, integrated into the urban fabric through an articulated sequence of interior spaces, preceded by a scenic exedra square and a vast pertinent park.
The pleasure residence is a vast architectural complex organized around the “Noble Court,” equipped with numerous service areas, such as rustic courtyards, kitchens, cellars, an icehouse, a wine cellar, stables, carriage shelters, and servants’ quarters. The construction of this Brianza pleasure villa dates back to the mid-17th century, when Bartolomeo III Arese wanted to create a grandiose holiday palace to affirm the power and prestige achieved by his family.
The building’s structure boasts frescoed rooms by 17th-century Milanese painters such as Giovanni Stefano Doneda, known as Montalto, Nuvolone, Giovanni Ghisolfi, and Ercole Procaccini the Younger. The park is harmonized by perspective avenues, with Italian-style garden geometries.
The main events in the history of the palace
The construction
Giulio I Arese begins construction on an important building, worthy of the power and wealth of the Arese family, on the lands of the Pieve di Seveso fiefdom acquired by his grandfather, Bartolomeo the Elder.
Giulio I Arese’s son, Bartolomeo III, married Lucrezia Omodei, a wealthy widow, and their union produced three children: Giulia, Margherita, and Giulio II.
Bartolomeo III continued the work, expanding the Palace and transforming it from a country house into a sumptuous residence worthy of the political role he held. In fact, Bartolomeo was president of the Senate of Milan and of the Council of Italy in Madrid.
The daughter Giulia marries the Count of Arona Renato II Borromeo, thus implying a kinship with Vitaliano VI, the inventor of Isola Bella.
Daughter Margherita marries Fabio Visconti Borromeo, great-grandson of Pirro II (creator of Villa Litta in Lainate).
On March 31, Bartolomeo III Arese’s son, Giulio II, dies at only 19 years old. The tragic event of the death of the only male son in whom the continuation of the dynasty is placed leads Bartolomeo III to change the iconographic and iconological conception developed up to now in the interior decorations.
The construction of the Palace is complete. The following worked on it: Giovanni Ambrogio Pessina, a member of the Chamber of Engineers, Carlo Buzzi, il Paggi, and Richino, father and son.
Bartolomeo III Arese dies. From now on, the family will take the name Borromeo Arese, to continue the dynastic plans of the Arese family.
Charles IV inherited the Cesanese complex. Under him, the palace perhaps experienced its moment of greatest splendor, with grand Baroque festivals and illustrious guests, including Ludovico Antonio Muratori (1697), the Duke of Parma and Piacenza Francesco Farnese (1700), and the Prince-Elector of Saxony Frederick III (1712).
Accountant Ferrante Baselino drafts “The Inventory of Furniture in the Cesano Palace,” commissioned by Renato III Borromeo Arese. This document highlights the significant changes implemented by Renato III, comparable to the last record of the palace in the 1759 inventory, which describes a situation almost unchanged from the first inventory of 1697, commissioned by Giulia Arese Borromeo.
The Rococo and then Neoclassical renovation works, begun by the Borromeo Arese family in the 18th century, are completed. An example of this is the redecoration of the ground-floor dining room, completed this year. During the 19th century, the Cesanese residence began a period of decline that culminated in the confiscation of the property by the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, which became a cavalry barracks.
On January 25th, the Cesano Maderno City Council accepted the “option agreement” proposed by the Borromeo Arese family for the transfer of ownership of the Palazzo and the Arese Borromeo Garden to the Cesanese Municipal Administration, after lengthy negotiations that began in the 1970s.
On December 16, the notarial deed was drawn up, registered the following year at the Court of Desio.
After undergoing significant restoration work, Palazzo Arese Borromeo has become a major tourist attraction and a cultural hub, enlivened by exhibitions, conferences, concerts, and various events.