Verbania: D5 … Rocca di Angera (Part II)

After checking out the doll and toy museum, which I mentioned in part I, we took the stairs up to the top floor … where we found a series of interconnected rooms designated as the historic halls.

We began in the “Sala del Buon Romano” … so named for the painting that depicts Giovanni Borromeo driving the Goths from Rome … for which he was given the honorary title of “Buon Romano” [Good Roman].

“Sala delle Cerimonie” [Hall of Ceremonies] was next. Of course, my eyes immediately went to the collection of mural fragments. At first, I thought they were the restored sections of the murals that once decorated the walls of this hall. Reading the info panel, however, I was surprised to learn that they were brought here from the Palazzo Borromeo in Milan. Turns out that the grand edifice was largely destroyed by WWII bombings in 1943. The fragments that could be saved were removed in 1946 and later brought here. The style of the murals is thought be that of Michelino da Bezosso, who worked for the family in 1445.

The “Sala dei Fasti Borromeo” was next. The translator tells me the name means Hall of the Glories of Borromeo. I don’t know how high the mural decorating the lower 2/3rds of the room actually went, but I liked the geometric design. Against this background were two oversized paintings from the 1600s. The description panel stated that the room was named for these paintings, which were “… intended to celebrate the antiquity and splendor of the Borromeo dynasty …”. They sure weren’t shy about proclaiming their importance.

And then we came to the pièce de résistance … the “Sala della Giustizia” [Hall of Justice. An anonymous master artist, known simply as the “Maestro di Angera,” painted the room with frescoes depicting the 1277 Battle of Desio … correlating it with the influence of the planets and the constellations of the zodiac. Geometric patterns added further interest.

By all accounts, the frescoes decorating the walls and vaulted ceiling of the hall are considered amongst the most complex of the medieval period. Art historians agree that the unknown maestro had a storytelling flair uncommon in the world of northern Italian painting in the 13th and 14th centuries. All I know is that I was quite entranced by the frescoes that have survived to this day and can only imagine what a wondrous feast of color the room must have been back in the day when the paintings were intact.

I’m glad we made time during our Verbania stay to visit the castle … we enjoyed it both inside and out.Read more