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Villa Borghi's History

- A long history speaking volumes of the present -

Villa Borghi many centuries of history are intimately bound up with the story of the family which made it one of the most beautiful villas in the Varese area in its day. With its setting at the top of the town, it was built on the ruins of an older settlement whose presence is documented as far back as the 12th century. It owes its present appearance to renovation work by the Borghi family in the second half of the 19th century. Work commissioned to engineer Paolo Cesa Bianchi started from the pre-existing manor house to create an Eclectic style building in a double-T shaped plan, giving it a timeless monumental charm.

DISCOVER WHOLE HISTORY

How it all began

The histories of the Borghi family and the Varano villa began many centuries ago when, after passing through many hands, the Varano fief was acquired by Marquis Trecchi of Cremona in 1744. In 1760 Zaccaria Borgo, a wealthy merchant from Gallarate, bought up the property on a perpetual lease.

A shrewd businessman, Zaccaria made himself rich with an apothecary's workshop and a wholesale silk store. This wealth enabled his son Antonio Maria to study law and practice as a lawyer. On Zaccaria’s death in 1795 his heirs inherited a vast estate measuring 204 hectares.

His son Fedele became a successful businessman in the silk sector, adding further to the family’s wealth. In 1806 divergent interests led to the family's assets being divided up between Fedele’s six sons. Three of these, Carlo, Francesco and Pasquale, followed in their father’s footsteps.

In 1838, Tullio Dandolo sold the Varano lands to Francesco Borghi, thus bringing the whole estate into the hands of the Borghi family.

Zaccaria’s grandson Pasquale saw that the time was ripe to convert the family's industrial business from silk to cotton. From 1806 to 1817 he set up Italy's second mechanical cotton spinning plant.

Luigi Borghi, Carlo’s son, played a key role in the company. Resolute and visionary, in 1841 he was the first in Italy to weave mechanically. In addition to his industrial achievements Luigi was also caught up in the political changes of his day, taking part in Mazzini’s Giovine Italia movement and coming to the attention of the Austrian rulers, who exiled him in 1849. He returned to Italy in 1854 and continued to leave his mark on the Borghi company until his sudden death in 1859 at the age of just 47. His was a life of entrepreneurship, political adventure and anti-establishment spirit.

A family story

The life of Luigi Borghi, a key figure in the Borghi family’s 19th century history, was adventurous, including episodes such as his flight abroad to escape Radetzky’s police. The backdrop to his story was the golden age of Lombard textiles with their ‘home’ capitalism character based on kinship and marriage alliances leading to full-blown industrial clans, such as the Ponti, Turati, Borghi and Cantoni family businesses..

These textile families accumulated great wealth, buying up shares in their rivals and investing in emerging sectors such as rubber. The consolidation of the family system translated into a sense of family responsibility, with certain businessmen building housing estates near factories to give their workforces greater security

When Luigi Borghi died suddenly in 1859, his brothers Paolo, Giulio and Giovanni took over leadership of the firm. Then, when Paolo died in 1876, management passed to his nephews Napoleone, Antonio and Pio. Napoleone was a patriot and shrewd businessman but he died tragically in 1882. The Borghi family continued to play a key role in the local industrial fabric.

Pio Borghi, nicknamed the ‘moderniser’, mechanised the Varano factory and also worked to reclaim land for housing and infrastructure projects for its workers. He died in 1900 and the firm passed to his nephew, Luigi junior.

The curtain fell on this first act in 1920 when Commendator Fedele Borghi bought up the Varano villa with a view to conserving a family historic legacy made up of much more than simply architectural memories and including tangible changes made to the social fabric and the industry of the day.