Villa Luigi Faccanoni

On the coastal road that connects Sarnico to Predore stands the large Villa Surre, built by Luigi Faccanoni in full modernist style of the early twentieth century. Connected to the lake by an elevated metal runner, the sumptuous residence is surrounded by a lush and suggestive park, with artificial caves and an exedra entrance. The rectangular mass of the building is entirely covered with white stone; the facade facing the lake is embellished with large concrete high-reliefs by Ernesto Bazzaro and ends with a decorated terracotta band placed under the shell eaves.
Located in the center of the facade, the main entrance consists of a balcony canopy with large side stairways. The exterior of the villa is in good condition, with the exception of the terracotta decorations which unfortunately appear corroded and altered by atmospheric pollution. The villa is configured as a set of rare elegance, in which elements of medieval inspiration are romantically combined with others of Renaissance and mannerist matrix: the loggia tower, the white stone cladding combined with the gray stone window lintels, the decorations under the eaves in terracotta, the artificial caves, the rear entrance highlighted by small obelisks. The wrought iron elements are the work of Alessandro Mazzucotelli and in them you can see a close link with the decorative motifs of the concrete high-reliefs: this underlines the unitary concept of the decorative interventions, conceived by the Liberty artists as a whole. Villa Surre is one of the five Liberty-style architectural works in the Municipality of Sarnico.

The whole history of the building can be read in the monograph "Giuseppe Sommaruga (1867-1917). A protagonist of Liberty", edited by Andrea Speziali, CartaCanta editore 2017.