The Royal Palace of Monza adheres to the #PalaceDay 2020 on Sunday 19 July 2020, promoted by the European Royal Residences Association, created in 2001 on the initiative of the Château de Versailles.
The initiative, now in its fifth edition, which last year obtained over 50 million contacts in a single day, brings together on social channels – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook – all the participating institutions, which represent the most enchanting palaces, royal villas and castles of Europe and Russia, to share their history, their collections of paintings and works of art, their botanical heritage, and much more.
#PalaceDay, which comes at a time when the various residences are still suffering from the aftermath of the pandemic, has a very important meaning, sending a message of hope and restart.
The theme chosen for this year is the Music, which has always been a fundamental element for life at court. Over time, the halls of palaces, castles and villas have seen the most important European musicians interpret their most celebrated compositions.
In addition to the curiosities published on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, on the channel Spotify #PalaceDay2020, you will find a playlist compiled by the bodies registered in the European Royal Residences Association; the Reggia di Monza participates, proposing The music of Queen Margherita of Savoy, with pieces by John Sgambati (1841-1914) as the Piano Quintet in B flat major Barcarola, Symphony No.1 in D major , Requiem Mass, played in Villa Realei on the occasion of the first anniversary of the regicide of Umberto I.
To these is added Ascanio in Alba (K 111) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on a libretto by Giuseppe Parini, performed for the first time on 17 October 1771 on commission from the governor general of Milan, Count Carlo Giuseppe di Firmian, on the occasion of the for the wedding between the Archduke Ferdinand of Habsburg, one of the sons of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, and Maria Ricciarda Beatrice d'Este, granddaughter of the Duke of Modena Francesco III.
Precisely on this occasion, the archduke Ferdinand was so enchanted by the Austrian genius that he proposed him to become court master in Milan; a plan that failed due to the intervention of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, who forced Mozart to return immediately to Vienna.
The European Royal Residences Association it aims to promote the various knowledge and experiences in the context of actions for the enhancement and promotion of cultural heritage and has more than 90 royal residences in 15 European countries and in Russia.
Since 2017, the monumental complex of the Reggia di Monza has been a member of the network of European Royal Residences, in order to encourage the sharing of information of mutual interest for the protection, conservation and enhancement of the historic architecture, including trees, of the Reggia.
