Museo Villa Bernasconi
Liberty (Art Nouveau) villa of 1906 in Cernobbio, transformed into a narrative and multisensory museum about the history of the house and the Tessiture Seriche Bernasconi.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Villa Bernasconi is one of the rare examples of Liberty (Art Nouveau) architecture on Lake Como. It was built between 1905 and 1906 to a design by Alfredo Campanini as a “casa alla moda” (fashionable house) for the engineer Davide Bernasconi, founder of the Tessiture Seriche Bernasconi of Cernobbio. The exterior decorations depict the life cycle of the silkworm and the fruit of the mulberry tree, and the wrought iron is the work of the master craftsman Alessandro Mazzucotelli.
The villa stands in Cernobbio's “cittadella della seta” (silk citadel), next to the company's former offices, the houses for workers and managers and the kindergarten. It remained with the Bernasconi heirs until 1955, then passed to a bus company and was rented to the Guardia di Finanza (financial police), until in 1989 it was bought by the Comune di Cernobbio. After a restoration lasting from 2005 to 2013, it reopened to the public on 26 November 2017 as a museum, thanks to the Liberty Tutti project.
The museum is a “casa che parla” (talking house): the villa tells its own story and that of the people who lived there in the first person, with multimedia content, historical documents, objects on loan from other collections and multisensory experiences, such as rummaging through drawers or answering the telephone. An app allows visitors to take the villa's stories with them. The route pays particular attention to the themes of fashion and design.
Highlights
- Liberty architecture by Alfredo Campanini with wrought iron by Mazzucotelli
- Exterior decorations inspired by the silkworm and the mulberry tree
- Narrative museum with interactive and multisensory installations
- App to take the villa's stories with you
- 360° virtual tour
Permanent exhibition
- Il museo narrante di Villa Bernasconi – Multimedia and multisensory route in which the villa tells its own story and that of those who lived in it, from 1906 to the present.
- Founded
- 2017
- Operated by
- Comune di Cernobbio
- Visitors per year
- approx. 8,876
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €10 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5Young people aged 15 to 30, adults aged 65 to 74, groups of at least 10 people, journalists, FAI and TCI members and other partner arrangements, subscribers to partner theatres, members of Cernobbio associations, customers of Cernobbio shops |
| Children & teens | €5free up to age 13 · Free admission for under-14s; ages 15 to 30 pay the reduced ticket of €5. |
| Seniors | €5Reduced rate for adults aged 65 to 74; free for over-75s. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for people with disabilities with a companion. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €5 per personGroups of at least 10 people: reduced ticket. |
| Reduced parking | €9For those holding a paid parking ticket in Cernobbio. |
Free admission also for residents of Cernobbio, teachers, tour guides, ICOM and ICCROM members and holders of the Abbonamento Musei Lombardia. Under the ACI agreement (ACI and ACI Storico members) a reduced ticket costs €5 and the second ticket is free.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | A dedicated app and a 360° virtual tour on the website; educational courses and workshops. |
