Villa Braghieri or Villa Braghieri-Albesani is a

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

style rural palace, located on the Via Emilia Piacentina, in the town of

Castel San Giovanni Castel San Giovanni (Emilian language#Dialects, Piacentino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. History The origins of the town are probably related to an ancient ''pieve'' called ''Olubra'' and a fort ...

, near

Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...

, Region of

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

, Italy. The villa was begun during the late 17th century by Count Daniele Chiapponi, but construction continued till the end of the 18th century. Part of the designs were directed by Carlo Scotti, nephew of the Marquise Teodora Chiapponi. In 1809, the villa became property of the land-owning Albesani family. By 1905, the villa was bought by the Braghieri family. Carlo Braghieri, a prominent lawyer, willed the property by 1971 to the ''Ente Comunale di Assistenza'' of Castel San Giovanni, and it 1996, it became property of the comune. The villa has 23 rooms, each with a different theme or purpose. They are richly furnished and decorated with stucco and painted decorations. The comune of Castel San Giovanni, employed the architect Marcello Spigaroli to transform parts of the villa into museum rooms, historical archives, and a modern municipal library. The site is used for cultural events. The museum will display artifacts owned by cardinal

Agostino Casaroli Agostino Casaroli (24 November 1914 – 9 June 1998) was an Italian Catholic priest and diplomat for the Holy See, who became Cardinal Secretary of State. He was an important figure behind the Vatican's efforts to deal with the religious persec ...

and the Tidone Valley's Ethnographic Museum. The surrounding park is open to the publicPiacenza Musei.

References

{{coord missing, Italy Buildings and structures in the Province of Piacenza Museums in Emilia-Romagna Villas in Emilia-Romagna Historic house museums in Italy