Villa Mapelli Mozzi, also known as Villa Mozzi or Villa Mapelli, is a large rural neoclassical-style palace in Locate Bergamasco, a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' of

Ponte San Pietro Ponte San Pietro (Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy, northern Italy. It is about northeast of Milan and about west of Bergamo. Sights include the Villa Mapelli Mozzi. Geography Ponte San Pietro is built on ...

, which is located in the

province of Bergamo The province of Bergamo (; ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Bergamo. The province has a population of 1,103,768 (2023), an area of , and contains 242 ''comune, comuni'' (municipali ...

, northern Italy. The roots of the building date back to 1460, when the property with the castle was acquired by the family. From 1770, when it was built in this form, until today, the villa has been the property of the Italian noble family of Mapelli-Mozzi. With the back façade reaching almost 40 meters, the avant-corps and the lateral parts, it embodies one of the grandest neoclassical villas in the province. Park of the Villa Mapelli Mozzi is accessible, while interiors of the villa are no longer open to visitors.

History

The site originally held a castle, property of the Mozzi family, but the current villa was completed after 1770 by the

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Enrico Mozzi. The architect is not known definitively, but it could have been a local architect, Giovanni Moroni. He might have had suggestions from

Giuseppe Piermarini Giuseppe Piermarini (; 18 July 1734 – 18 February 1808) was an Italian architect who trained with Luigi Vanvitelli in Naples and designed the Teatro alla Scala in Milan (1776–78), which remains the work by which he is chiefly remembered. I ...

, since the design is similar to that of the

Royal Villa of Monza The Royal Villa (Italian: ''Villa Reale'') is a historical building in Monza, Northern Italy. It lies on the banks of the Lambro river, surrounded by the large Monza Park, one of the largest enclosed parks in Europe. The Royal Villa, also cal ...

, and the peaked roof recalls his design for the

Teatro alla Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was a church). The premiere performance was Antonio Salieri's ''Europa r ...

in Milan. In 1820, ''

Conte Conte may refer to: * Conte (literature), a literary genre * Conte (surname) * Conté, a drawing medium * Conte, Jura, town in France * Conté royal family, a fictional family in Tamora Pierce's Tortallan world * Conte, the title of Count in Italy ...

'' D. Luigi Mozzi owned the "villa Mozzi, later Mapelli". The Mozzi came from nearby Mozzo and were not related to the noble family of the same name from

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. In 1809, the Mozzi family joined the Mapelli family when Angela Mozzi, last descendant of the house, married the noble Girolamo Mapelli. The coats of arms of the two families were combined. Their son Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi married Ippolita Giulino of the Counts of Vialba. Their son Paolo married Enrichetta Tarsis in 1889, a descendant of an ancient noble family. By royal decree of March 13, 1913, and with letters patent of July 17, 1913, King

Victor Emmanuel III Victor Emmanuel III (; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. A member of the House of Savoy, he also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941 and King of the Albani ...

of Italy elevated the Mapelli Mozzi family into the hereditary title of

. The property remains in the possession of the Mapelli Mozzi family who also own the Villa Mapelli Mozzi located in

Casatenovo Casatenovo ( Brianzöö: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region of Lombardy, about northeast of Milan and about southwest of Lecco. , it had a population of about 12,700. Casatenovo borders the followin ...

, between Bergamo and

Lake Como Lake Como ( , ) also known as Lario, is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over deep, it is one of the deepest lakes in Europe. ...

Legacy

The interior of the Ponte San Pietro building has a large staircase leading to a ''

piano nobile ( Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ) is the architectural term for the principal floor of a '' palazzo''. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the house ...

'' frescoed by Vincenzo Angelo Orelli,

Paolo Vincenzo Bonomini Paolo Vincenzo Bonomini (23 January 1757 – 1839) was an Italian painter. Biography Bonomini was born in Bergamo to an artist father Paolo Maria, who encouraged his son's artistic study. Bonomini's early works were done in a rococo style that la ...

, and

Agostino Comerio The dome of San Sebastiano in Milan Agostino Comerio (12 May 1784 – 5 August 1834) was an Italian painter, active mainly in Northern Italy. Life and career He was born in Locate, near Como, to Filippo Comerio, a painter from Milan and La ...

. The villa has long held the family's significant works of

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

, with Alex Mapelli Mozzi (b. 1951) – also of

– working internationally as an

art dealer An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art, or acts as the intermediary between the buyers and sellers of art. An art dealer in contemporary art typically seeks out various artists to represent, and builds relationshi ...

and

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

. Alessandro was married to Nicola "Nikki" Diana Burrows, MBE (b. 1956) from

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

on 8 March 1978, paternal granddaughter of businessman and Liberal party politician Sir Robert Abraham Burrows and his wife,

Lady ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...

Burrows (née Eleanor Doris Bainbridge), great-granddaughter of

Bainbridge's Bainbridge's (company name Bainbridge & Co) was a major department store in Eldon Square Shopping Centre, Eldon Square in the Newcastle upon Tyne city centre, centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The store, which is now branded as John Lewis & ...

founder

Emerson Muschamp Bainbridge Emerson Muschamp Bainbridge (5 December 1845 – 12 May 1911) was an English mining consulting engineer, philanthropist and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1895 to 1900. Life Bainbridge was born in the village of ...

. Their only son,

Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi Edoardo Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi (born 19 November 1983) is a British property developer descended from Italian nobility. He is the founder and chief executive of Banda Property, a property development and interior design company. He became a me ...

is married to

Princess Beatrice of York Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary; born 8 August 1988) is a member of the British royal family. She is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of Charles ...

, member of the

British Royal Family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

, elder daughter of

Prince Andrew, Duke of York Prince Andrew, Duke of York (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a younger bro ...

and granddaughter of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. Their first daughter, Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi (b. 2021) is currently 10th in line of

Succession to the British throne Succession to the British throne is determined by descent, sex, legitimacy, and religion. Under common law, the Crown is inherited by a sovereign's children or by a childless sovereign's nearest Collateral descendant, collateral line. The Bil ...

, while their second born, Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi (b.2025) is the 11th in line of Succession to the British throne.

References

External links

Villa Mapelli Mozzi
– Isola Bergamasca website
Villa Mapelli Mozzi (in Casatenovo)
– another Mapelli Mozzi

family seat A family seat, sometimes just called seat, is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families t ...

, Italy
''La famiglia Mapelli''
{{in lang, it Mapelli Mozzi Houses completed in 1780 Mapelli-Mozzi family