MILANO UNVEILED
Program of the First Duomo Tour
October 1 - 4, 2015
INTERNATIONAL PATRONS OF DUOMO DI MILANO
requests the pleasure
of your company
MILANO
UNVEILED
The first Duomo Tour
1st-4th October 2015
created by
Philippe Daverio
Artistic Director of the Grande Museo del Duomo di Milano
~
Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
~
Marchese and Marchesa Alberto Berlingieri
owners of Alessandro Manzoni’s Villa in Brusuglio
~
Guests of Honour
Prince and Princess Michael of Greece
INTERNATIONAL PATRONS OF DUOMO DI MILANO
Honorary Chairman
Milano Unveiled
Monsignor Gianantonio Borgonovo
Board of Directors
Jim Carolan, president
Gianni Baratta
Simone Crolla
Advisory Board
Paola Antonelli
Mario Boselli
Albert G. Lauber
Riccardo Monti
Federica Olivares
Giulio Maria Terzi di Sant’Agata
Mariuccia Zerilli Marimò
Dear Friend,
Iam glad to present you, together with International Patrons
of the Duomo di Milano, a trip that will lead you to discover
Milano and its most iconic monuments in unique circumstances.
We will introduce you to some of Italy’most prominent families
and their historical palaces and villas, enjoying special tours
to find Milano’s hidden treasures as well as the most exquisite
food and wines of Lombardy and Italy.
Th e Duomo di Milano, together with Alessandro Manzoni,
the great nineteenth century writer, will be the fil rouge
of the entire tour, guiding you amongst the most beautiful
surroundings.
You will be staying – as our Guests – either in the charming
Villa Manzoni at the Milan Gates, surrounded by a magnificent
garden, or in the building of the Veneranda Fabbrica del
Duomo di Milano, located just behind the magnificent
Cathedral, with breathtaking views of the city.
I look forward to meeting you here in Milano!
Marchesa Barbara Berlingeri
Milano
Milan has long been thought of as the Big Apple of Italy.
A hard-working, productive city, a hectic northern metropolis, the capital of
Italian fashion, and a beacon for international design, Milan is a locomotive
for Italy’s economy. At the same time, it is a thriving center of cultural ferment.
Milan is also much more.
Milan is a capital of Italian history, arts, entertainment, and politics. Milan’s
beauty, however, lies hidden, invisible to the casual visitor.
The city’s beauty is concealed in courtyards, behind the façades of privately
owned palazzi that enclose verdant gardens and vast art collections; it is
tucked away in the churches and museums that safeguard so much of Italy’s
vast cultural and artistic heritage.
Like an invisible bridge linking the U.S. and Italy, the International Patrons
of the Duomo di Milano have assembled this unique tour that will take our
guests on a voyage of discovery, in search of the small, priceless treasures that
Milan so jealously conceals.
Still, not all of Milan’s beauty is hidden. Indeed, this city’s emblem and the
image most often depicted on postcards is the Cathedral, Milan’s Duomo, a
secret in plain sight, the central destination of this journey we’ve crafted for
our Patrons.
The Duomo di Milano represents the fulcrum of the city’s ethics and tradition.
Nothing represents Milan’s history of hard-working determination like the
Duomo, nothing else so thoroughly evokes the willingness of the people
of Milan to take up the challenges of the centuries. This, one of the most
astonishing Gothic cathedrals ever built, forms a crucial part of Milan’s
identity—yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Thursday, October 1
Day 1
Welcome Dinner, 8.00 p.m.
The tour begins in the magnificent setting of Brusuglio, where Marchese and
Marchesa Alberto Berlingieri are pleased to welcome us into their stunning
home, the Villa Manzoni – the summer residence of none other than Alessandro
Manzoni himself, one of Italy’s best known writers, a novelist, poet, and
playwright - the author of the great Italian novel, I promessi sposi, “The
Betrothed.”
The villa and its grounds remain
by and large unchanged by the
passage of centuries, and preserve
the unspoiled charm of so many
mementoes of Manzoni’s career as a
writer, but also as an architect and a
botanist. Alessandro Manzoni himself
oversaw the construction of the villa’s
central structure. It was at the foot
of one of the oak trees that still stand
in the garden today that Manzoni
wrote his great ode on the death of
Napoleon, Il Cinque Maggio (“The
Fifth of May”, 1822)
This welcome dinner will allow
the members of the group to get to
know each other, as well as to meet
the staff and the representatives
of the International Patrons of the
Duomo di Milano and the Veneranda
Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano,
who will be accompanying them
throughout the Tour.
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Friday, October 2
Day 2, morning
9.00 a.m.
During the first morning of our visit, we will be touring the Duomo di Milano and
its treasures.
Philippe Daverio, Artistic Director of the Grande Museo del Duomo di Milano and
a renowned and entertaining art historian, will be our guide for this special visit.
The Duomo
We will start with the Archivium
Fabricae, the Historical Archive,
whose papers span more than
700 years of Milanese history
and document such great artists
as Leonardo da Vinci. Next, we
will visit the Duomo itself, Milan’s
cathedral and the city’s spiritual
and moral heart. From the Terraces
atop the cathedral, you will enjoy a
breathtaking view of the city and its
modern skyline, as well as the forest
of 135 spires, all built in Candoglia
marble.
We will then learn more about
Candoglia, where the Duomo’s
beautiful marble was quarried.
Located on the eastern bank of the
Toce River, at the mouth to the Val
d’Ossola (Piedmont – northwest
Italy). This is the source of the
unusual coloration of Duomo di
Milano. Since 1387, when Gian
Galeazzo Visconti first decided to
replace the bricks originally chosen
for the construction of the Duomo
with marble, the Veneranda Fabbrica
del Duomo di Milano has always
quarried its marble in Candoglia.
For centuries, the marble has been
brought to Milan via the Navigli,
canals leading from the Ticino River
that were designed by Leonardo
da Vinci. Candoglia marble is as
beautiful as fragile; that is why the
cathedral and especially its soaring
spires require constant care and
complex maintenance. The tour will
conclude with a visit to the marble
workshop of the Duomo di Milano,
where the marble is sculpted and
carved.
1.30 p.m.
Lunch will be served in a private villa on the way back to Milan through the
Brughiera, Lombard horse country, where we will be welcome guests of the
owner. The Brughiera is the Milanese countryside, and this wonderland of
flowers and plants is ideal for horseback riding, golf, and other sports, a perfect
escape from the stress of city life. The countryside enjoys broad horizons and
magnificent vistas, and takes its name from a pinkish flower (the Brugo, or
Calluna vulgaris).
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Friday, October 2
Day 2, afternoon and evening
7.30 p.m.
In the late afternoon, we will be taken on an exclusive private tour of The
Last Supper, probably Leonardo da Vinci’s best known fresco, located in the
refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. On this very special
occasion, the actor Massimiliano Finazzer Flory will be our guide, regaling us
with his latest theatrical performance.
Massimiliano Finazzer Flory is a
playwright, actor, and theatrical
director and the mastermind of
“Being Leonardo da Vinci: An
Impossible Interview” a production
devoted to this emblematic Italian
genius. This staged biography
of Leonardo da Vinci, artist and
scientist, premiered in London in
2012 at the National Gallery, in
conjunction with the landmark
exhibition, Leonardo da Vinci:
Painter at the Court of Milan.
8.30 p.m.
We will be hosted for dinner by Piero Castellini Baldissera, a Milanese architect
best known for an eclectic style that brings together both elegance and a light
touch. He will welcome us into his historic home, the Casa degli Atellani.
Located just a short walk from
Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper in
the Convent of Santa Maria delle
Grazie on Corso Magenta, the Casa
degli Atellani is one of the very few
fully Renaissance buildings still
standing in Milan.
When Leonardo da Vinci came
to Milan to work at the court of
Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, his
patron gave him a vineyard all his
own. It is easy to imagine him, at the
end of a hard day working on the
Last Supper, walking home through
the Borgo delle Grazie to the Casa
degli Atellani and stopping by to
check on the state of his vineyard.
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Saturday, October 3
Day 3, morning
10.00 a.m.
EXPO
Our guests can choose one of two different programs on this day; one will
feature a tour of the Milan Expo, with a special focus on the Italian Pavilion
and the U.S. Pavilion, followed by a private and exclusive lunch in the Ferrari
Lounge, while the second option includes a tour of the Fondazione Prada,
followed by lunch in a private home in Milan with our host.
EXPO 2015
For those of our guests who choose
option one, the tour of Expo 2015
will offer a chance to visit various
pavilions, and in particular the
American and Italian pavilions.
American Pavilion: The USA Pavilion
is an open structure evocative of the
structure of a traditional American
barn. The American pavilion
showcases American leadership in the
global food arena.
Italian Pavilion: The Universal
Exposition of 2015 represents an
excellent opportunity for Italy to
revive and promote its many points
of excellence in manufacturing,
technology, and science.
Fondazione Prada
For those choosing the second option,
there will be a special tour of the
new Milan venue of the Fondazione
Prada. Conceived by Rem Koolhaas’s
architecture firm, OMA, the
Fondazione has expanded the array
of spatial typologies for exhibiting art
and sharing it with the public.
As stated by Rem Koolhaas: “The
Fondazione is not a preservation
project and not a new architecture.
Two conditions that are usually kept
separate here confront each other
in a state of permanent interaction–
offering an ensemble of fragments
that will not congeal into a single
image, or allow any part to dominate
the others. New, old, horizontal,
vertical, wide, narrow, white, black,
open, enclosed–all these contrasts
establish the range of oppositions
that define the new Fondazione.”
1.30 p.m.
For those who choose to visit EXPO2015, an exclusive lunch will be served
in the private Ferrari Lounge, while for those who opt to visit the Fondazione
Prada, lunch will be hosted in a private home in Milan.
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Saturday, October 3
Day 3, afternoon and evening
2.00 p.m.
We will then visit the renowned Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, an art gallery
featuring several of the world’s greatest masterpieces, such as The Musician
by Leonardo, The Basket of Fruit by Caravaggio, The cartoon for the School
of Athens by Raphael, The Adoration of the Magi by Titian, the Madonna del
Padiglione by Sandro Botticelli and the magnificent Vases of Flowers by Jan
Brueghel.
The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, was
created in April 1618, when Cardinal
Federico Borromeo donated his
collection of paintings, drawings and
statues to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana,
which he had founded in 1607.
6.00 p.m.
We will be given a private tour of the Grande Museo del Duomo di Milano by
the Artistic Director of the museum himself, Philippe Daverio.
8.30 p.m.
Next we will proceed to the Teatro alla Scala to enjoy the comic opera L’elisir
d’Amore.
La Scala was built under the auspices
We will then enjoy the evening’s
of the Empress Maria Theresa of
performance of L’elisir d’amore
Austria, as a replacement for the
(The Elixir of Love), a comic opera
Royal Ducal Theatre, destroyed by
(melodramma giocoso) in two acts
fire on February 26, 1776, which had
by the Italian composer Gaetano
until then been the home of opera in
Donizetti.
Milan. La Scala was designed by the
L’elisir was the most performed opera
great Neoclassical architect Giuseppe
between 1838 and 1848 and has
Piermarini, and it opened on August
remained in the international opera
3, 1778 with Antonio Salieri’s opera
repertoire since. Today it is one of
L’Europa riconosciuta, libretto by
the most frequently performed of all
Mattia Verazi.
Donizetti’s operas.
10.30 p.m.
Dinner will be hosted, in a charming private house near the Teatro alla Scala,
in honor of the cast of the opera, welcomed by the owner.
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Sunday, October 4
Day 4, morning and afternoon
11.00 a.m.
We will attend a private concert in honor of the famed composer Giuseppe
Verdi, in the church of San Gottardo in Corte, recently restored by the
Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano.
1.30 p.m.
For lunch, we will be the guests of Conte Giulio Durini di Monza at the
magnificent Palazzo Durini.
Palazzo Durini has medieval origins
and was the residence of Vercellino
Visconti, a member of the Milanese
duke family. Throughout the years,
the palace has changed its style
many times until the neoclassical
style came. During the first part of
the eight hundreds, the well-known
artist and art collector Giuseppe Bossi
lived in it and it became a house
museum, where all the art works
could be admired, he also established
a painting school on the request of
Eugenio of Beauharnais. The Durini
Foundation, created in 1939 by Don
Antonio Durini Count of Monza
and led nowadays by Don Giulio
Durini, wants to bring back to life
the original status of noble residence
and exhibit its precious furniture that
come from the Durini’s collection.
During the years, various art works
have been lost and the Durini
Foundation has been able to bring
them back to their original place.
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Sunday, October 4
Day 4, afternoon and evening
3.00 p.m.
After lunch, we will have the chance to visit the Basilica di Santa Maria presso
San Satiro followed by tea in Raffaella Curiel’s Atelier, hosted by Raffaella
Curiel – the Milanese fashion designer – and her daughter Gigliola Curiel.
Almost hidden between via Torino and
via Speronari, Santa Maria presso
San Satiro is among Milan’s most
fascinating religious monuments: an
archetype of the city’s multifaceted
history and numerous artistic
influences. The monument as we
know it today was built on the
foundation of a smaller ninth-century
church dedicated to St. Satyrus,
brother of St. Ambrose (Milan’s patron
saint). The Renaissance architect
Donato Bramante was in charge of
construction. He designed the nave
and transept and came up with an
ingenious solution to overcome space
limitations for the presbytery or
chancel, the feature for which the
church of San Satiro is arguably best
known: by creating a trompe-l’oeil
architectural illusion with stucco, he
brought into existence an illusion of
perspective and depth in a space that
measures little more than one meter.
8.00 p.m.
Dinner will be hosted by Conte Mario Emanuele Cicogna Mozzoni at his
beautiful Casa Cicogna Mozzoni.
the time was surrounded by a large
garden, was purchased by Count
Carlo Cicogna Mozzoni in 1828.
The garden was redesigned by Luigi
Canonica, who enclosed the large
courtyard with a fourth wing of the
palace, decorated with paintings in
the romantic Neo-Gothic style by
Alessandro Sanquirico, a set designer
at the Teatro alla Scala.
This magnificent residence was
built in the sixteenth century for
Piero Paolo Arrigoni (president of
the Milanese Senate, during the
reign of Emperor Charles V). In
1596 ownership was transferred to
Count Pirri Visconti Borromeo, then
to the Litta Visconti Arese family
and subsequently to the Dati della
Somaglia family. The house, which at
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Monday, October 5
Day 5, optional extention
For those wishing to visit a little more an optional extension is offered:
10.30 a.m.
Tour of Franco Maria Ricci’s labyrinth.
The largest labyrinth in the world
has been created at Fontanellato
(Parma) based on an idea by Franco
Maria Ricci, publisher, designer,
art collector, and bibliophile, and
a promise he made in 1977 to the
Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges
who had long been fascinated by
the symbol of the labyrinth as a
metaphor for the human condition.
Ricci’s maze is the creation of an
aesthete with sublime taste who has
always been a lover of beauty, both
elegant and enticing. Moreover, it is
made entirely of bamboo plants.
The spectacular site hosts a museum
with Mr Ricci’s private art collection,
and also a starred chef-restaurant.
Parma has always been a place of
delights, home to large, exquisite
art collections. Fontanellato, with
its splendid historic center, the
Rocca Sanvitale, and Parmigianino’s
frescoes, possesses an extraordinary
artistic heritage, and is also well
known for its fine dining.
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INTERNATIONAL PATRONS OF DUOMO DI MILANO
For further information, please contact:
International Patrons of Duomo di Milano Inc.
430 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022
[email protected]
www. duomopatrons.org
Development office
Alessandra Pellegrini
Arts Council
via Fratelli Bronzetti, 28 - 20129 Milano
+39 02 717241
[email protected]
The program may be subject to modifications
based on invitations we may receive and various logistical issues