Lainate, 2 October 2025 – within the suggestive Serre Liberty The late nineteenth century in the historic park of Villa Visconti Borromeo Litta di Lainate is kept a botanical project of exceptional scientific and cultural value: the conservation and enhancement of one of the most relevant orchid collections at national level.
Thanks to the collaboration between the Municipality of Lainate and theLombard Association Amateurs Orchidee APS (Alao)And
was possible to welcome and preserve a Historical collection of over 2800 specimens of rare orchidsbelonging to one of the founders of the Association, which disappeared today. A unique botanical heritage, which includes rewarded species, in many cases over the age of years, some of which are extinct in nature or serious risk of disappearance.
The project is part of a context of extraordinary beauty and historical value, making the greenhouses of Villa Litta not only a place of exposure, but also a Center for study and scientific dissemination for botanists, taxonomas and researchers. The collection represents a concrete example of how biodiversity and genetic conservation can find space within an accessible and open framework to the public. The Municipality of Lainate has shown great foresight and cultural sensitivity in welcoming and supporting the initiative, offering the collection a prestigious environment, perfectly consistent with the educational, popular and environmental mission that accompanies it.
The synergy with Alao, has been activating for over forty years in the protection and promotion of orchids, is the basis of the success of this initiative, which is proposed as a virtuous model of collaboration between public institutions and reality of the third sector.
The collection includes numerous species of orchidswith a significant presence of belonging specimens, among others to the genres Aerangis, Angraecum, Anguloa, Aspasia, Barber, Bifrenaria, Barker, Coelogyne, Denrobium, Dendrochilum, Epidendrum, Gongora, Jumellea, Maxillary, Mediocalcar, Neofinetia, Oncidium, Dadontoglossum And Stanchopea.
The heart of the collection is represented by valuable specimens of Cattleya, Bulbophyllum, Paphiopedilum And Phragmipdium. They deserve one
particular mention some specimens of MEXIPEDIUM XEROPHYTICUMof great botanical value, e Cattlianthe Porcia Cannizzaroconsidered one of the most fascinating hybrids ever obtained by man, practically nowhere to be found on the market.
Next to the Orchidacea collection, the greenhouses also host one Spectacular exposure of cactus and succulent plants coming from the American continent – in particular from the United States (California), Mexico and Central America.
Among the most curious and fascinating varieties: mammillary, with frequent crown blooms in different shades of rose; Ferocactus, majestic and longevous, capable of flourishing after decades; Gymnocalycium, spherical shapes and funnel flowers with intense colors; Euphorbia, with unique inflorescences and an surprising seed dispersion system; Agave, an ornamental and multifunctional plant, from which a natural syrup is also obtained; Echincereus, among the most spectacular cactus for varieties of blooms, with bright and long -lasting colors, capable of adapting to extreme climates up to 8000 meters above sea level. The entire exhibition is designed as a living gardenan open -air laboratory in which research meets the art of the landscape, where enthusiasts, families and scholars can immerse themselves in the beauty and complexity of the vegetable world. The greenhouses fit into a large historical parka green lung that alternates Italian geometries with suggestive romantic views, enriched by fountains, secular carpini and 56 species of historical trees. Currently, within the suggestive Italian gardens of the Villa Litta nymphaeum, they are in 
course important maintenance works and redevelopment of green. In particular, it is being replaced by approximately 70 linear meters of buxus pumila hedge, seriously compromised by the attack on the piralis of the Bosso, which this year proved to be particularly aggressive. To ensure aesthetic continuity and resistance over time, the old hedge will be replaced with specimens of Ilex Crenata, a species very similar to the shape of a shape, but not subject to the attacks of this parasitic insect.
The new hedge will also be equipped with a modern dripping wing irrigation system, connected to the system already existing in the Nymphaeus, and the soil will be appropriately arranged to encourage healthy and lasting growth of the new plants.
The Serre system in the nineteenth century | historical notes
In the park of Villa Visconti Borromeo Litta, since the first half of the eighteenth century, there was a complex system of hot and cold greenhouses, which housed exotic and orchid essences. Today only a few structures remain: two masonry orangeies north of the park and, to the west, the large iron greenhouses and liberty -style glass dating back to 1837. After the acquisition of the villa by the Weill Weiss family in 1872, changes were made to the structure with an expansion between 1892 and 1898 made by the Riccardi Pietro di Rivoli company, inspired by models in the models spread in models. England and the Netherlands. In 1932, the Toselli family, already active in the cultivation of orchids in Belgium, purchased the villa and continued the activity in Lainate until the late sixties. Due to economic difficulties, in 1971 the property was purchased by the Municipality of Lainate. The greenhouses, strongly enhanced, have been the subject, starting from 2015, of a careful philological recovery project co -financed by the Cariplo Foundation. Since 2016 they are open to the public and can be visited on the third Sunday of the month.
Carlo Franza