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A convent
The villa stands on a Cistercian convent that shrank to six mothers
The site was a Cistercian convent, founded at the end of the 12th century. It grew in importance and wealth, but eventually declined to only six mothers and was closed by papal bull in 1567. The modern building stands on top of it.
Iron money
A man who made his fortune in iron mining bought it in 1569
Paolo Mornico bought the whole estate in 1569, using the fortune he had made through iron mining in Valsassinia, and turned it into a prestigious residence. In the 17th century the Mornico family rebuilt and decorated it in an eclectic style.
Leipzig
A buyer from Leipzig gave it the look it has today
Walter Kees of Leipzig bought the villa in the 1890s. Between 1897 and 1909 he carried out the modifications that give it its current eclectic style, with architects including Emilio Alemagna, Achille Majnoni and Enrico Citterio.
Physicists
Nobel Laureates have lectured in the villa since 1953
In 1936 the De Marchi family donated the villa to the public and it became a museum. In 1953 a conference centre was created, and physicists including Enrico Fermi met here. By 2013 the summer courses had heard lectures by more than thirty-four Nobel Laureates.
The museum
A museum house with 14 rooms opened in 2003
A museum house opened to the public in 2003 and was officially recognized by Lombardy in 2005. It has 14 rooms with original decorations and furniture from its owners, and a collection of optical, electronic and mechanical instruments that belonged to Giovanni Polvani.
Day 2, midday
It comes after Varenna. Then Passeggiata degli Innamorati.
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The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Villa Monastero, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.