5 Abandoned Villas in Lombardy: Forgotten Historic Homes

When we talk about Urbex in Lombardy, we often think of factories, hospitals, and large industrial structures. However, there is another particularly fascinating category: abandoned historic villas .

They are homes built in different eras, belonging to noble families, entrepreneurs, and important figures of the area. Some have survived centuries of history, others have changed function several times before being abandoned.

In this article

• Villa Colombo Brazzola – Sedriano

• Villa Sioli – Senago

• Villa Baragiola – Varese

• Villa Secco d'Aragona – Cazzago San Martino

• Villa Porro Lambertenghi – Cassina Rizzardi

• Why are historic villas abandoned?

• Conclusions

Villa Colombo Brazzola – Sedriano

In the historic center of Sedriano, in the metropolitan area of Milan, is Villa Colombo Brazzola , a historic residence dating back to the early 18th century.

The villa represents an interesting example of the traditional Lombard villa, composed of the master's residence, rustic buildings and the park.

The most distinctive feature of the main building is the facade facing the town, featuring a portico with segmental arches supported by Tuscan-style stone columns. The upper floor features a wrought-iron balcony and windows decorated with stucco elements.

The interiors must have been particularly rich. Documentation relating to the 1964 conservation order mentions decorated coffered ceilings, marble fireplaces, ornate doors, frescoes, and graffiti. One of the rooms also featured a 17th-century marble altar.

Today the situation is very different.

The manor house is still preserved , albeit in mediocre condition, while the annexed rustic buildings, in particular, have fallen into much more precarious condition. The complex is private and protected, and a restoration project is currently underway.

It is precisely this difference between the still recognizable villa and the more degraded accessory parts that makes the complex interesting from a historical and architectural point of view.

Villa Sioli – Senago

In Senago, on the outskirts of Milan, is Villa Sioli , also known as Villa Corbella Martinelli Sioli.

Its origins date back to the 18th century, and the building's history is linked to various families who have changed its purpose and characteristics over the centuries.

The Corbella family is remembered among the first owners.

The villa subsequently passed to the Martinelli family and, in 1820, was left to the Archbishops of Milan, who used it as a summer residence. The Milanese poet Carlo Porta also stayed at the villa in 1810.

In 1866, the property was sold at auction to Angelo Sioli. From that moment on, the complex gradually lost some of its original layout: factories were built and the large Italian garden was resized.

This transformation is particularly interesting because it tells the story of the transition from a noble villa to a complex also linked to productive activities .

The villa is now municipal property, under protection, and listed in the Ministry of Culture's database as being in a very poor state of repair. A restoration and enhancement project is underway, assessing its technical and economic feasibility.

Despite its deterioration, the historic body of the villa remains recognizable and constitutes an important testimony to the transformation of large residential complexes in Lombardy.

Villa Baragiola – Varese

In Masnago, one of the historic districts of Varese, is Villa Baragiola , a large residence surrounded by a vast park.

The villa was built in the 19th century on the initiative of the Baragiola De Bustelli family. The building has a square floor plan and an internal organization centered around the central staircase.

The residence was not a simple dwelling.

Inside, there were state rooms and spaces for the library and armory. The main hall featured a large window overlooking the garden.

Around 1930 the villa was purchased by the banker Giacomo Tedeschi, who had it renovated and renamed it Villa Alessandra , in honour of his wife.

A few years later, in 1941, the complex took on a new purpose: it became the seat of the Varese Archbishop's Seminary. This transformation entailed further renovations and the construction of new buildings for the seminary's activities. In 1951, the rectangular building for the seminarians' classrooms was also completed.

The seminary remained in the villa until 1991.

Today, the complex is owned by the Municipality of Varese, and the Ministry of Culture's database indicates it is in a poor state of preservation. The villa thus remains a recognizable historic building, but marked by progressive decay and the loss of its original function.

Its peculiarity is precisely the number of lives it has passed through: noble residence, private villa, a banker's home and finally a seminary .

Villa Secco d'Aragona – Cazzago San Martino

In the province of Brescia we find one of the oldest villas on this list.

Villa Secco d'Aragona , also known as Villa Bornati-Secco d'Aragona, was built around the mid-16th century on the remains of a previous construction, probably dating back to the 14th century.

The building has an L-shaped floor plan and is composed of two sections connected by a central entrance hall. The main façade is relatively simple, with regular windows and round-arched portals.

Behind the rather simple external appearance, however, lies a much richer structure.

Documentation from the Ministry of Culture mentions the historical presence of fireplaces, decorations, and frescoes , while on the southeast side there is a courtyard with a portico featuring round arches. The complex was also originally connected to the nearby Bornato Castle.

The villa has been privately owned and under protection since 1949. Its state of conservation is considered mediocre , meaning we are dealing with a building that has maintained its structure and architectural character, but which requires conservation work.

It is an interesting example because it allows us to see how Urbex can directly encounter the history of Italian architecture: not a twentieth-century industrial building, but a home with over four centuries of history .

Villa Porro Lambertenghi – Cassina Rizzardi

In Cassina Rizzardi, in the province of Como, is Villa Porro Lambertenghi , one of the most important historic homes on this list.

The complex was built in different periods and over time developed according to the model of a traditional Lombard villa. The structure is organized around three U-shaped open courtyards and has a unique relationship with the surrounding agricultural landscape.

The villa is linked to the Porro Lambertenghi family, one of the most famous noble families in the Como area.

The history of the residence is also linked to Giuseppe Garibaldi . In 1860, in fact, the Porro Lambertenghi family played a role in the marriage between Garibaldi and Giuseppina Raimondi, celebrated in nearby Fino Mornasco.

The villa continued to have an active function well into the twentieth century. Until the 1980s, it was used for social activities and also housed a social-educational center and a vocational school. Afterwards, it underwent a long period of neglect.

The property is now owned by the Province of Como, and the villa is protected as a cultural asset. The Ministry of Culture describes its state of preservation as poor , but the structure is still present and recognizable as a large historical complex.

Its recent history is particularly significant: over the years, restoration projects and various reuse projects have been proposed, but the problem of preserving the villa remains open.

Why are historic villas abandoned?

The abandonment of a historic villa is rarely the result of a single event.

Many of these residences were built in a period when large families owned vast agricultural lands and used villas as homes, country residences, and property management centers.

With the economic and social transformation of the territory, this model has progressively disappeared.

In some cases, the villa has been repurposed for new uses, such as schools, seminaries, social facilities, or manufacturing operations. In other cases, however, no new, economically viable use has been found.

Further complicating the situation are the historical and artistic constraints .

A listed villa cannot simply be demolished or freely modified. At the same time, the restoration of a large historic residence can require significant investments.

The result can be a building that remains standing for decades, but without a specific function.

It is precisely this situation that creates some of the most interesting Urbex locations: villas that are still architecturally legible, but suspended between their past and a future that has not yet arrived .

Conclusions

The abandoned villas of Lombardy are very different from each other.

Villa Colombo Brazzola tells the story of the eighteenth-century Lombard villa; Villa Sioli demonstrates the transformation of a noble residence into a complex dedicated to manufacturing; Villa Baragiola spanned the era of grand private residences and that of a seminary; Villa Secco d'Aragona preserves a history rooted in the Renaissance; Villa Porro Lambertenghi is linked to the political and social history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

What they have in common is a fundamental element: they are not simple ruins .

They are still recognizable buildings, with facades, courtyards, structures and architectural features that allow us to understand what they once were.

And this is perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of Urbex: ideally entering the history of a place doesn't necessarily mean seeking out the most extreme degradation. Sometimes it's much more fascinating to observe a villa still standing and wonder who built it, who lived there, and why it remains empty today .