Italy's Ministero della Cultura has announced intentions to seize Villa Verdi near Piacenza, as part of its plan to convert the property into a museum dedicated to opera composer Giuseppe Verdi.
Verdi commissioned the construction of the house in 1848, during which his parents occupied the property. He moved in with his second wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, in 1851. There the composer spent most of his life for the next fifty years, writing numerous operas including La traviata and La forza del destino, as well as managing a successful farming business. Today, the villa is owned by four Carrara-Verdi siblings-descendants of Verdi's younger cousin, Maria Filomena Verdi.
Angiolo Carrara-Verdi began managing the villa in 2010, converting part of it into a museum. In October 2021, the villa was closed because the family could no longer afford its upkeep. It was set to go to auction the following year, with an estimated starting bid of € 30 million. The Italian government set aside € 20 million to purchase the home, and received further financial assistance from Italian opera houses which mounted Verdi performances to help with the acquisition of the property.
The auction never materialized, however, and the Ministero della Cultura stated on 21 December 2023 that it would seize Villa Verdi within 180 days. The Carrara-Verdis will receive between € 8 and € 9 million and have 60 days to legally oppose the seizure.
The villa will become part of a Verdi itinerary, which already includes the Teatro Verdi opera house in Busseto and the house in Roncole where the composer was born. Culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano says, "The Villa...represents a fundamental part of the national heritage because of the historical value of the great composer's work. This asset cannot remain exposed to degradation and neglect, but must form the core of a museum itinerary visitable by the entire world."
