After Maria Taglioni’s last performance in Russia in 1842, a group of admirers went so far as to cook and eat a pair of her ballet shoes: the legendary étoile chose Blevio as her own refuge from her immense fame.
Regarded as the first great Romantic ballerina and a pioneer of dancing en pointe, Maria Taglioni (1804-1884) already owned the prestigious Ca’ d’Oro on Venice’s Grand Canal when, in 1840, she chose this corner of Lake Como for its closeness to her friend, the soprano Giuditta Pasta, who had long lived here in what is today Villa Roccabruna. Her fame was such that in Russia sweets, pastries and even a hairstyle were named after her, imitated by the ladies of the time.
The property, still known today as Villa Usuelli, in fact comprises two twin neoclassical residences: Villa Maria Taglioni and the neighbouring Villa Serena, separated by a small historic harbour decorated with terracotta statues and surrounded by a single large garden with century-old trees. Next door stands the old parish church of Saints Gordianus and Epimachus. After the Taglioni years, the estate passed to the painter Michele Riccardi and finally to Teresio Usuelli, son of Celestino Usuelli, known as “the flying Milanese”, an alpinist and airship builder, from whom the villa takes the name by which it is known today.