Villa Sioli Legnani, Bussero

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Villa Sioli Legnani is a rural palace near Bussero in Lombardy, Italy. Its story begins in the late 1500s when the Corio family started building it, with work continuing in 1588 under doctor Giulio Cesare Corio. In 1628 his grandsons expanded the house into a rectangular two-story block, with an attic on one side. By the early 1700s the building took its current U-shaped form. Inside there was a chapel to Saint Catherine, and the east wing features a grand staircase to the main floor. The estate later passed to Giuseppe Gorini Corio, who married Catterina Aliprandi and, after her death, a younger wife named Bradamante Rasini. After Giuseppe died, his heirs fought over the property and it changed hands several times. In 1822 Giovanni Legnani bought it. The Legnani family hired architect and landscaper Giuseppe Balzaretto to renovate the house and grounds, removing the chapel to add a second staircase, enlarging the dining room, and adding Rococo decorations. The original 1700 garden was formal and symmetric. After 1830 Balzaretto redesigned it into a more English-style garden with broader views and added a semi-private patio beside the facade.