THE CHARM OF LIBERTY VILLAS

From Maccagno to Laveno, the villas and hotels built in the Liberty style tell the story of an era rich in cultural and tourist vitality — that of the early Twentieth century — in the towns overlooking lago Maggiore

At the beginning of the Twentieth century, the Liberty style also contributed to the renewal and tourist revival of the territory along the Lombard shore of lago Maggiore, through houses, small villas, and kursaals built by local craftsmen or by the most celebrated names on the Italian scene, who created works of considerable distinction.

In Luino, there are several examples of the Liberty style that speak to the liveliness of this lakeside town during those years, starting with Palazzo Verbania, originally built as a Kursaal. Walking along the lakefront, one reaches what is known as "La Rotonda" or "Rondò", where the iron railing made in 1912 can still be admired today.

Also standing out in the town centre are the villino De Albertis (1907) in corso XXV Aprile, the Panificio Luinese building (1901) in via Vittorio Veneto, and the Bar Centrale — Casa Barozzi — in piazza Garibaldi. Leaving the centre, one encounters, along via Lugano, villa Guerrini-Cerutti (1903) and villa Petrolo in via San Pietro; heading instead towards Colmegna, there are the two ville Solera.

It is in Colmegna itself that one comes across what is perhaps the most significant Liberty building in the Luino area: villa Carissimi. Designed by Vincenzo Morandi in 1907–1909, it faces the lake with a façade dominated by a central ogival window crowned by a female head in Jugendstil.

Not only Luino: in Laveno, the Liberty landmark that can still be admired today is undoubtedly Villa Tarlarini, an elegant and refined residence overlooking the gulf and surrounded by a vast park. Built in 1908 by the Milanese architect Francesco Carminati, it even hosted Winston Churchill for a period.

Moving towards the Swiss border and staying along the lake, further examples of the Liberty style include the Albergo Moderno in Maccagno, built in 1908 and today housing the town's post office, and the Marchelli family chapel in the cemetery of Tronzano Lago Maggiore.