A look back at the 1990s
It really took you to another era, the image of those two elderly and elegant ladies, with a bearing of a certain nobility. Every afternoon, protected by their bonnets, with lace gloves, walking stick or sun umbrella, they took their walk along the only tree-lined avenue in the small village of Curio. They missed the image of everyday village life when one fine day they no longer strolled.
The two ladies were Annita, the widow of the last male descendant of the Avanzini family, and her sister Emma. On 1.8.1998, when Mrs Annita died, the Avanzini house became part of the Avanzini inheritance to all intents and purposes, donated to the people of Curio. Pietro Avanzini, a man of great culture, had expressed the idea and desire to make his house available to Malcantone artists (letter M. Alberti, other testimonies).
The uncertain fate of the House, the birth of the Associazoine Amici di Casa Avanzini
In the year that followed, in 1999, the municipality of Curio decided to sell the house and entered into negotiations with a private individual for the sale. The destination of the house as desired by Pietro Avanzini began to wobble. The proposed sale was opposed by several municipal councillors and other citizens.
The association Amici di Casa Avanzini was founded as a result of this conflict. Its purpose is to promote the public use of Casa Avanzini, affirm its cultural importance and defend the donor's intention.
In the autumn of 2000, the first meeting of supporters and representatives of various public bodies such as the Malcantone Museum, the Malcantone Region, the Tourist Board and the Ticino Environment and Nature Society was organised, and a month later the statutes were formulated and accepted.
Years of stalemate
There were many discussions, ideas and proposals for use: rooms for artists, a hall for weddings and other ceremonies, a concert hall and more. The 'Schweizer Heimatschutz', more precisely 'The Holiday Foundation in the Historical Monument', (www.heimatschutz.ch) was interested in including part of Casa Avanzini in the project. But in the end, none of this was realised.
In subsequent years, several attempts by the municipality to sell Casa Avanzini failed. Discussions between those in favour of public use of the House and those in favour of selling it to private individuals did not lead to solutions.
Given the stalemate, the Association and its committee have not been active since 2008.
The association has not disbanded, and several of its members have always held out hope for a future for the House.
A new dream project
A new chapter in the history of Casa Avanzini opened when, in 2013, the Ticino Glati Handicrafts Committee (www.glati.ch) with its president Claudio Gianettoni drew up a project for the use of the historic residence in favour of the craftsmen of the Lugano region.
He submits it to the Curio Municipality, which accepts it positively. The cantonal Department of Finance and Economy and the Lugano Regional Development Agency, both of which are interested in the project, are involved.
These prospects create enthusiasm in the 'Amici di Casa Avanzini'. The association reactivates and intends to support Glati's project and revalue Casa Avanzini in its historical, current and future dimensions.