J. Il Fanciullo di Angera – Rocca di Angera

Audio narration by eArsK. Il Fanciullo di Angera – Rocca di Angera (Anna Bernardoni AB)Narrator: Walking through the streets of the village, several spray-painted murals can be seen that were inspired by classical art, such as the portrait of Ludovico Il Moro on the wall of Forni’s house. These are the work of the artist Andrea Ravo Mattoni, who wanted to showcase Angera’s rich history. Il Fanciullo di Angera, or the Boy of Angera, covers the entire wall here and was inspired by Caravaggio’s Boy with a Basket of Fruit.Ravo chose this image to pay tribute to Angera’s agricultural traditions, winemaking in particular. Anna Bernardoni can tell us more: AB: “Grape cultivation was one of the most widespread activities in this area. Until the early years of the twentieth century, almost everyone in Angera owned a vineyard. You have to imagine Angera surrounded by row after row of grapevines, stretching north through the hills all the way to San Quirico.The evidence of this heritage is all around us. Besides this mural, there is the Cappella della Madonna dell’Uva, or the Chapel of Our Lady of the Grapes, just a few yards from the Rocca and, indeed, the fortress itself.The Rocca di Angera actually played a key role in local winemaking. By the eighteenth century, it no longer served as a military fortress and had been turned over to agricultural production. It possessed its own vineyards and soon became a centre for wine production. An old wine cellar can still be seen inside the fortress, with a monumental eighteenth-century wine press.This was probably used not only for the Rocca’s own grapes, but also those of local farmersThey had to pay to use it, since it belonged to the wealthy lords of the Rocca: the Borromeo family. This noble family is famous for producing two of Milan’s most important cardinals, Charles and Federico Borromeo, and still owns the Rocca today.The Rocca is now open to the public and has become one of Angera’s main attractions with its historic rooms and the splendid frescoes in the Hall of Justice. Visitors can also explore its beautiful gardens, the Scaligera Wing, which often stages contemporary art exhibitions, and the Doll Museum, the largest of its kind in Europe.”