After getting on our bikes, we set off for our first stop! 

Also known as the Reggia or Royal Palace, the Villa Reale in Monza Park was built between 1770 and 1780 at the behest of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria as the summer residence of her son Ferdinand of Habsburg.

The building was designed by the imperial royal architect Giuseppe Piemarini, who skilfully combined the sobriety of the Lombard tradition with the grandeur of the Reggia (Royal Palace) of Caserta. It has the typical U-shaped plan of eighteenth-century Lombard villas in neoclassical style, and in addition to the central body, it originally had its own Court Chapel, the Court Theatre, the Stables and a large greenhouse (which now houses the Rose Garden). 

Donated to Vittorio Emanuele II after the Unification of Italy, it was then handed down to his son Umberto, who made it his summer residence, restored, embellished and radically transformed it. Later abandoned by Vittorio Emanuele III after the assassination of King Umberto and then donated to the State, recent restoration work has returned Villa Reale di Monza to its former glory.

On the first piano nobile, you can admire the sumptuous rooms of the royal family, from the reception rooms with the magnificent Ballroom, with its lavish decorations, mirrors and opulent chandeliers, to the private suites with their strikingly beautiful and rich frescoes. Once reserved for the private accommodation of guests, the second piano nobile is now used to host interesting temporary exhibitions, while the Belvedere on the top floor, which offers a magnificent view of the English-style gardens that stretch out behind the Villa, permanently hosts a fine design section of the Triennale.