Together with the new lakefront pavement and the new building at the port of Resiga it is undoubtedly one of the most important projects of the legislature. "The most important from a cultural point of view", underlines the mayor, Roberto Ponti. Cultural in a broad sense, as Casa Branca Baccalà is not only an architectural gem, but is also – and will increasingly be in the future – a place open to the population.
The renovation started with the new year aims in fact to give back to the Brissaghesi precious and prestigious spaces. The basement, at the foot of the main façade, which overlooks the courtyard – with the ancient well at its centre – and the Giardino delle Erbe, will finally be accessible again. As well as the upper floors.
"The premises below - explains the mayor - will host the Day Centre for our elderly and will be available for private parties and public events, for example the open-air cinema proposed in the summer by the Culture and Tourism Commission. In short, they will be multi-purpose spaces, because versatility is the common thread that as a City Hall we wanted to give to this project: on the upper floors there will be the hall of the City Council and the one dedicated to the rehearsals of our Philharmonic, it will be possible to organize receptions, art exhibitions and concerts ... All spaces can be modulated according to needs and future requests. However, the underlying objective is to revive this historic building and bring the district closer to the lakefront, creating a connection that has so far been lacking.”
“Our wish – echoed by Ivo Storelli, the municipality responsible for the project – is that, at the end of the works, this building will once again be a ‘living house’ and above all open to various cultural activities – I am thinking, for example, of the many artists living in the country or in the region – and recreational activities. In this sense, the ancient ‘Garden of Spices’ that is part of the complex will host an educational project in collaboration with the municipal schools.’
Casa Branca Baccalà, which for several years has housed the Museum dedicated to Ruggero Leoncavallo, and therefore already has a tourist and cultural value, has been defined by the historian Virgilio Gilardoni as ‘the most beautiful example of noble Baroque in the Upper Lake Maggiore region’. The building was built between 1740 and 1750 on commission from the Branca brothers: Antonio Francesco, known as the Muscovite, and Father Francesco Maria, and is an architectural testimony to Brissago’s flourishing past, when a noble class installed in the village helped to change its urban layout.
The renovation, entrusted to the architect Stefano Garbani Nerini, under the supervision that the City Hall has delegated to his colleague Piero Caccia, will further enhance the Museum, and the building will also become an important piece in the tourism policy that the Municipality is promoting. Purchased by the Municipality in 1976, the building underwent conservation work between the early 1980s and 2000. Then, everything stopped due to lack of funds.
"Now - concludes Mayor Ponti - thanks to the donation of a private citizen, who has made available one million francs, and the contribution of the Canton, which amounts to half a million, we are able to bring this jewel of Baroque architecture back to life. The municipality will cover the remaining half of the costs. It is clear that investments must be planned according to priorities and financial availability, and a lot has been done in Brissago in recent years: from the Lido, to the port, to the lakeside promenade ... The donation we received was the stimulus that allowed us to proceed with the definitive restructuring of Casa Branca Baccalà, which we will hand over in the coming months to all Brissaghesi’.