Villa Braghieri

About the museum

The villa was built between the late 17th and the 18th century as a farmhouse and became a country residence at the wish of the Piacenza count Daniele Chiapponi; work continued until the end of the 18th century. In the 19th century the property passed to the Scotti family and then, from 1809, to the Albesani family, large landowners who made it a meeting place for the notable people of the area.

The villa was later bought by the Braghieri family. The lawyer Carlo Braghieri left it to the Ente comunale di assistenza of Castel San Giovanni, and since 1996 the municipality has been its sole owner. A long restoration, designed by the architect Marcello Spigaroli and supported by the regional institute for cultural heritage, brought stuccoes and tempera decorations back to light and adapted the spaces to their present uses.

Today the building, which has twenty-three rooms, houses the municipal library and the historical archive. Some decorated historic rooms, such as the great hall, the music room, the room known as “la Svizzera” with wall hangings made in Alsace, the hunting room and the room of the Angels, can be visited during library opening hours. The Museo etnografico della Val Tidone, created from the donation made in 1978 by Professor Fiorello Bottarelli and set up in the villa since 2011, is in the cellars. An old park surrounding the villa is open to the public.

Highlights

• Room known as “la Svizzera” with wall hangings made in Alsace
• Music room, hunting room and room of the Angels with stuccoes and decorations
• Museo etnografico della Val Tidone in the cellars, with more than two hundred objects
• Old villa park open to the public

Permanent exhibition

• Museo etnografico della Val Tidone – The villa’s cellars display archaeological and palaeontological finds, farm and craft tools, coins, antique toys, historic dry-measure containers and photographs from the 1930s and 1940s.

Founded

1650

Operated by

Comune di Castel San Giovanni

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The Comune lists the library as accessible without architectural barriers; no information on the accessibility of the museum in the cellars is available.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The library is at Via Mulini; the villa faces the Via Emilia Piacentina (Castel San Giovanni, between the town and Piacenza).

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