Villa Saroli

GIUSEPPE PAGANI, 1905

Built in 1904-05 by Giuseppe Pagani for Adolfo Enderlin in an eclectic style with a fusion of Art Nouveau decorative elements, the villa is characterised by its French-inspired corner tower. The coat of arms of the first owners still stands at the beginning of the entrance staircase and in the entrance hall. Ownership of the villa, with its large surrounding garden, passed from the Enderlin family to the Saroli family in the mid-20th century and finally to the City of Lugano (1962), which used it alternately for offices and as an exhibition space. A large window with the coats of arms of the patrician families of Lugano, designed by Gastone Cambin, was installed in 1974.

Owned by the Culture Department of the City of Lugano, it now houses various associations, including Istituto Internazionale di Architettura, co-organiser of Open House Ticino.