Villa Gallia, Neoclassical architectural ensemble on Lake Como, Italy.
Villa Gallia is a Neoclassical villa in Como, formally known as Villa Crespi, designed by architect Simone Cantoni. The central salon has frescoes by Giovanni Paolo Recchi depicting Aeneas's flight from Troy and scenes from Roman history, and a large fireplace in red stone from Arzo and black marble from Olcio. The garden facing Lake Como holds Medusa, a sculpture by Domenico Paladino dedicated to Gianni Versace since 16 June 1998.
Cardinal Marco Gallio built the villa between 1614 and 1619, demolishing Paolo Giovio's 1537-1543 villa-museum on the site. In 1815 Simone Cantoni enlarged it southward and reworked it in Neoclassical style for Caroline of Brunswick, who lodged at nearby Villa Saporiti but then bought Villa d'Este instead. The Fossani family held it from 1772, the Bellotti from 1859; in the late 19th century engineer Robecchi added the attic, balconies and rusticated stonework.
The name comes from Cardinal Marco Gallio, who had the villa built between 1614 and 1619 on the site of Paolo Giovio's villa-museum. The central hall's frescoes, once attributed to Isidoro Bianchi, are now credited to Giovanni Paolo Recchi and show Aeneas fleeing Troy and scenes from Roman history.
Villa Gallia stands next to Villa Saporiti, which the provincial administration also acquired; the two buildings together house its offices. The garden facing Lake Como holds Medusa, a sculpture by Domenico Paladino dedicated to Gianni Versace and installed on 16 June 1998. The seventeenth-century nymphaeum survives in the courtyard of the school built on the upper garden.
Since 16 June 1998 the garden facing Lake Como has held Medusa, a sculpture by Domenico Paladino dedicated to Gianni Versace. The work stands apart from the villa's Neoclassical and 1901 formal garden elements, and visitors often pass it without knowing it commemorates the fashion designer.
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