Villa Reale in Monza – Royal Villa of Monza [20Km from Milan]

In 2014 Villa Reale in Monza is back to life! After a long work of refurbishment the famous dwelling in Monza in the North-East of Milan is back to its ancient magnificence and has been enriched with new attractions and exhibition spaces that have turned it into one of the most attractive sights of interest set a few kilometres from Milan. Impressive fountains, well-finished gardens and a stunning facade not disfiguring between the most beautiful chateaux in Europe are just some of the beauties the villa has to offer. But an even more suggestive sight is waiting from you right behind its gates…are you ready to discover it?

The gardens

You don’t have to be a perfect gardener to be enchanted by the massive green areas surrounding the villa. The 730-hectare Monza park on the dwelling’s back side has kept unaltered its lure and its luxuriant plant life and it is still today studded by centuries-old trees dating back to 1777, century in which it was used as a game reserve. Walking through its paths, a few steps away from small lakes and temples, in a warm Spring or Fall day is a pleasure accessible anytime to locals and visitors. Its spaces include historical and agricultural buildings, mills, stables, restaurants and, last but not least, the famous Monza F1 racetrack, an unmissable venue for engines aficionados. The gardens are even more appealing, as they are one of the favourite attractions to those keen on botanic culture and also host exhibitions and meetings for the discovery or rare and exotic plants. Their geometrically well-organised structure is visible as soon as you pass the entrance gates to the villa, but you’d better have an access ticket to the gardens to fully admire their unique beauty.

The inner spaces

Projected by Giuseppe Piermarini in 1777, the same architect who developed the Scala Theater, Villa Reale was born to house Austrian Governor Ferdinand of Hapsburg. The dwelling is a two-storey majestic complex with a newly inaugurated wood-built attic hosting the Triennale Design Museum. As long as you go up the white marble staircase, traces from the Hapsburg domination are easy to spot, especially in the archiducal apartments recalling details from the Hofsburg palace in Vienna. You will be welcomed by marble and inlaid wood flooring, luxurious frescoes and porcelains, walls covered with silk or mirrors, wood panelled ceilings, as well as a priceless view on the underlying park. Getting lost imagining the daily life scenes at the time it was built is a unique experience. But it’s not all, as the villa also boasts a chapel, a small theatre, an amphitheatre, both not visible from the outside, and the famous ‘Rotonda’, a circular room featuring breath-taking frescoes by Piermarini. A wide and bright hallway connects the apartments hall to the one currently hosting photography, history, architecture or culture exhibitions, all of a great interest for visitors. And innovation lovers just have to go upstairs to have their interest satisfied, as they can have a full immersion into the history of Italian design from 1945 up to nowadays at the Triennale Design Museum. At the ground floor, an elegant restaurant bookable both for public and private events, a contemporary cafeteria and a bookshop featuring design, photography and history volumes complete the yet rich attractions the palace has to offer. Now it’s up to you to discover more!

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Villa Reale di Monza, the Royal apartments

Tickets: regular tickets from 12 euro, reductions available.
Opening Hours: The villa is open to visitors Tue-Sun 10am-7pm. Closed on Mondays. Guided tours, as well as audio guides are available upon request. Its gardens are open daily 7am-6.30pm for free, as well as the park open daily 7am-7pm.
If you are planning to visit this location on one of the following dates, we recommend you to check the availability: 1, 6 January, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, 25 April, 1 May, 2 June, 15 August, 1 November, 8, 25, 26 and 31 December.