Villa Maioni, the elegant residence built in 1925 by the industrialist Pietro Maioni and his beloved wife Emilia Roveda, was purchased by the Municipality of Verbania in 1977 and, since 1981, has housed the Civic Library named after the Verbanese philosopher Pietro Ceretti.

The beautiful rooms contain over 80,000 volumes, and offer spaces for reading and study. The numerous cultural events, with lively public debates and readings for adults and children that are regularly organized here, make it a point of reference and one of the most popular places in the city.

Designed by the architect Giuseppe Baroggi, the villa is a fine example of the neo-baroque style that was so popular in that era. It bears witness to that particular moment in time which saw the start of the modern holiday with villas owned by local families: isolated, immersed in the greenery of well-maintained gardens, and integrated into the local environment.

The surrounding park extends over 30,000 sq.mt. Originally, it had been enhanced with valuable tree species, however, over time a significant part of this heritage has been lost.

Since 2007, the park has housed a catalogue field of 57 cultivars dedicated to autumn-winter flowering camellias belonging to the three best-known species - Camellia sasanqua, Camellia hiemalis, Camellia vernalis – the outcome of a research project by the University of Turin, in collaboration with the Consorzio Fiori Tipici (Typical Flowers Consortium) of Lake Maggiore, designed to enhance the flourishing characteristics of the different varieties.

The park will shortly undergo redevelopment to transform it into the Biblioteca delle Camelie, an educational horticultural area with over 600 varieties of camellias whose scientific aspect will be curated by the Italian Camellia Society.

The Villa Maioni park is open to the public with free admission.