The Museo Vincenzo Vela in Ligornetto

The Museo Vincenzo Vela is the most important artist’s residence preserved today in Switzerland and one of the most interesting in Europe, from both a historical and a cultural perspective. The museum houses nearly all the original plasters by the Ticinese sculptor Vincenzo Vela (1820–1891). Born in Ligornetto and active for a large part of his life in Milan and Turin, Vela was a leading exponent of realism in sculpture and a fervid supporter of the Risorgimento, the political movement to unify Italy. At the height of his career, Vela built a stately home in his native village conceived as a studio and residence, where, upon his return from abroad, the sculptor presented …