From January 30th to March 15th, 2026
Villa Bernasconi transforms into a winter landscape suspended in time, reaffirming its essence as a home: a space to be lived in, traversed, and listened to. The rooms, once designed for daily life and social representation, now welcome visitors into a narrative of memory, gestures, and atmospheres, where ice—an ephemeral and ever-changing element—symbolically enters the domestic intimacy. In this dialogue between interior and exterior, warmth and cold, the villa becomes both a refuge and a threshold—a place where art, design, and history intertwine to evoke the charm of a winter lived, observed, and remembered.
With Liberty of Ice, the Municipality of Cernobbio presents a new winter exhibition inspired by Milano Cortina 2026, where art, design, and memory blend with the allure of the Belle Époque, creating a story of elegance, movement, and transformation.
The villa’s halls engage visitors in a continuous dialogue between past and present. Contemporary creativity meets the sinuous forms of Art Nouveau through furnishings by Medea 1905 and the new Liberty London wallpapers. The scenic designs suggest snow-covered landscapes, family intimacy, and postcard-perfect atmospheres, restoring the vintage charm of an era when ice was a place for leisure, socializing, and status.
The exhibition path is threaded with the history of figure skating—a symbol of grace and discipline—and pays tribute to skater Madge Syers, a pioneer who challenged conventions in 1902 by becoming the first woman to compete in the Figure Skating World Championships. Her courage paved the way for a new female presence in sports, turning the ice into a space for empowerment and visibility. This theme runs through the exhibition with both subtlety and resolve, transforming art into narrative and design into a voice.
A precious collection of vintage postcards and photographs from the Fondazione Arte Nova accompanies the public on a visual journey between the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th, when skating was a collective ritual and a recurring image in the European winter imagination.
The experience is enriched by sensory suggestions: vintage lights restored by Luxilla, artisanal rugs by Jaipur Rugs, floral arrangements by Ratti Flora, and home fragrances by SERRA&FONSECA all contribute to an immersive atmosphere where sight, scent, and touch dialogue with the space.
Alongside the exhibition, and in addition to the permanent interactive “talking house” tour, the villa offers a program of activities for families, schools, and curious visitors, including theatrical tours, creative workshops, music, and thematic encounters.
Ice Nouveau is part of the Milano Cortina 2026 Cultural Olympiad and the program created for the occasion by the Lake Como Villas and Museums Coordination. The beating heart of the project is Silvia di Pasquale’s solo exhibition, OLYMPIC VIBRATIONS, curated by the GALP gallery of Cernobbio, where the movement of sport is transformed into form, rhythm, and visual energy.