FAI safeguards a remarkable collection of works on paper that vary widely in artistic technique, period and provenance, as well as in form and function. The collection includes more than 11,000 prints, drawings and photographs, 40,000 rare books, historical archives and around 700 square metres of wall coverings made of wallpaper and parchment.

A Fragile Material

Paper is particularly vulnerable to deterioration caused by physical, chemical and biological factors.

Unsuitable environmental conditions—such as high or fluctuating levels of relative humidity and excessive light exposure—can accelerate damage. Biological agents, including mould and insects, prolonged public exposure, and the use of inappropriate materials—often found in historic mountings that do not meet modern conservation standards—can also contribute to the deterioration of paper artefacts.

Among the conservation activities carried out in 2025, FAI launched a new phase of its maintenance and restoration programme dedicated to the print collections preserved at Villa Fogazzaro Roi and Villa del Balbianello, the two FAI properties located in the Province of Como.

Villa Fogazzaro Roi

The intervention, carried out by restorers specialising in paper conservation, involved 40 engravings displayed at Villa Fogazzaro Roi. These works belong to the series Gli uomini più illustri nella pittura, scultura e architettura, created in 1769 by Giovanni Battista Cecchi after drawings by Ignazio Hugford.

Originally published in four volumes, the series comprised 300 half-length portraits engraved in copper, depicting some of the most celebrated masters of art from the Renaissance through to the mid-eighteenth century.

Villa del Balbianello

At the same time, conservation work was carried out on 27 works on paper from Villa del Balbianello. This group includes lithographs and hand-coloured prints created between the late eighteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, depicting views of Lake Como.

The works form part of the important collection assembled by Guido Monzino, the explorer who bequeathed the villa to FAI in 1988.

Conservation and Restoration of Paper Heritage

The conservation programme, applied to all the works involved, included removing the frames and conducting a preliminary condition assessment, followed by dry cleaning, tests to determine appropriate washing techniques, consolidation treatments and the reduction of distortions in the paper.

Restoration work was also carried out on pieces showing visible stains, losses or tears.

Once the treatments were completed, each work was remounted using acid-free conservation materials, selected specifically to protect the paper and ensure the long-term durability of the interventions.

Finally, ongoing monitoring will be carried out to assess the stability of the works’ conservation conditions, as well as the environmental conditions of the spaces in which they are displayed and stored.