Bosisio: project on Andrea Appiani, a tour on the painter

An itinerant tourist route dedicated to Andrea Appiani, the “painter of graces”, 270 years after his birth.

From left the mayor Andrea Colombo, Chiara Anna Delmiglio, Rita Castelnuovo, Giandomenico Corti and Alfredo Viganò

On the evening of Friday 24 May, the latest project implemented by Pro Loco Bosisio and curated by Chiara Anna Delmiglio, art historian and qualified tourist guide, was presented at the Parini study centre.

“We have existed for 20 years and right from the start we were entrusted with the management of the boat, then we proposed the Pariniano route again and brought it to the Monza area too – said the Pro Loco president Rita Castelnuovo – Bosisio is not only Giuseppe Parini, but also Andrea Appiani: the two knew each other and frequented each other. This project allows Bosisio to expand further and when Chiara made us the proposal to create widespread tourism, we found some partners, whom I thank”.

Portraits of Napoleon Bonaparte

The tourist route is the project of the Pro Loco of Bosisio Parini, in collaboration with the Pro Loco of Triuggio and the archaeological cultural association of Oggiono and with the patronage of the municipalities of Bosisio Parini, Oggiono and Triuggio, created on the occasion of the 270th anniversary of its birth of Napoleon’s painter.

The marriages of the Virgin in the history of art. The last one on the right is the fresco by Appiani located in Oggiono

“Pro Loco’s initiatives are many, they are there every year and this year they have gone further, in addition to boat trips, itineraries, educational workshops – said the mayor of Bosisio, Andrea Colombo – Precisely this We restored the Parini house this year: what better opportunity to give visibility to our town? These aspects are important: we must not take them for granted, but try to revive our territories, creating an increase in the tourist offer. It’s good that there is the Pro Loco and the collaboration of the municipalities: I think this is a virtuous example and everything is possible also thanks to PVL, with which we have entered into agreements”.

The culture councilor of the city of Oggiono, Giandomenico Corti added: “This is a new project, which Oggiono believes in. The occasion is Appiani’s 270th birthday and is a way to renew interest in this artist, who was important in his time. Personally, I loved him so much that I made him the protagonist of one of my crime books. In the prepositural church of Oggiono we have a work by him, restored in 2017 thanks to the University of Monte di Brianza: it is the most requested work when people come to visit Oggiono”.

On the left an example of Andrea Appiani’s drawings

Alfredo Viganò was present for the Valle del Lambro Park: “As a Park we have had a fruitful collaboration with the Pro Loco of Bosisio for years which has expanded with the exposure to AgriNatura. We are working with the lakeside municipalities to close the lake ring as a cycle path. We contributed to providing the resources for the walk that connects Bosisio to Cesana and we entrusted the task of closing the ring up to Eupilio: we believe that Lake Pusiano has the naturalistic characteristics to be valorised, so much so that we brought on a visit also the mayors of the municipalities that are part of the organization during the 40th anniversary celebrations. Now there is this new project: for every activity on the lake, we try to be present and do our part.”

The word then passed to the curator of this project, the tourist guide Chiara Anna Delmiglio: “I am happy to have had entities collaborate on two different territories because in this way I pursue the objective of creating bridges and not walls and I hope that other municipalities will join” he said, presenting the figure of the painter, one of the most cataloged artists in the Milanese museographic field.

The designed route is spread over three itineraries: Bosisio Parini, Oggiono and Triuggio.
Bosisio Parini is home to Villa Appiani Cantù (on Sunday morning there will be a guided tour) where the birth of the painter is attributed and the Parini Museum house. Tourist signs will be placed here with some information.
Appiani and Parini collaborate, so much so that Appiani will paint a portrait of Parini and the poet will dedicate a poem to him. “Both Parini and Appiani, despite earning money in Milan, prefer the life of Bosisio”.

In Rancate di Triuggio, the upper part of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria Assunta was frescoed by Andrea Appiani in 1785.
In Oggiono, in the church of Sant’Eufemia, there is an altarpiece from 1790 which, signed at the bottom centre, represents a wedding scene: for the work Appiani was inspired by Raphael, looking to him for his sweetness and beauty of the stretch, taking up the position of the feet that invites the spectator to enter.
“Appiani is also inspired by Leonardo, in the treatment of faces and gestures and used character heads: to be quick, he typified the faces found in other frescoes in the church” said Chiara Anna Delmiglio.

Andrea Appiani left his mark in Caglio, Biassono, Valbrona, Monza where he frescoed the rotunda of Cupid and Psyche in Villa Reale and painted the curtain of the Court theatre.
In Milan, there are works in Santa Marta near San Celso which has the central dome entirely frescoed by the painter: it is the only neoclassical work frescoed in Milan present in a church.

“Napoleon, arriving in Milan, is acclaimed and asks for a painter. He invites Appiani to Paris and asks him to portray him while he eats. He will commission many portraits of him that will be sent around Europe” added the tour guide. At Palazzo Reale, Appiani paints the glories of Napoleon Bonaparte in the room of the caryatids: unfortunately it was bombed during the world war and today nothing remains. Works by him can be found exhibited in the Gallery of Modern Art in Milan, at the Pinacoteca di Brera, at the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan and at Villa Carlotta in Tremezzina, on Lake Como.
Andrea Appiani’s works are very present in the area but his figure is sometimes less known. For this project, which aims to enhance his talent while also reconnecting to the great exhibition that will be held at Palazzo Reale in 2025, a website has also been created: https://www.appiani270.com.

A guided tour of the village of Bosisio will be held on Sunday 26 May with a particular focus on Appiani and Parini and a ride on the Vago Eupili electric boat.