• Lawyer Abbondio Bernasconi, a leading figure in favor of Riva San Vitale and the last tongue of mendriosiotto land joining the Cisalpina Republic, built the Villa Maderni in the mid 1770s.
• The coat of arms placed on the front door of the villa belongs to the Bernasconi family and features a dagger and a star of clear Masonic origin. These symbols demonstrate the connection of Bernasconi to the “Loggia Masonica” (Masonic Lodge).
• In the villa a secret shelter was built where Bernasconi hid a portion of documents and reports he was mailing to Napoleon’s generals. The documents detailed the damages and fires that Riva had experienced from the sections against the republic.
• The tiles in the villa are the original tiles from when the house was built. Because of this there is no sealant on the tiles so shoes must be worn to prevent the oils from our feet from damaging the tiles.
• The last owners of the Villa Maderni sold it since it was heir-less.
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