Villa Verdi Sant'Agata 2026: Is It Open? What to See Instead

Booking choice: The private Verdi birthplace day, from $289 per person. Check dates Compare the options below

Villa Verdi stands at Sant'Agata, in the comune of Villanova sull'Arda, in the province of Piacenza, about 3.5 km north of Busseto. Many older pages and apps still list its opening hours. They are out of date: the villa has been closed to visitors since 2022.

Below: whether it is open, who owns it now, the state of the restoration, the villa's story, what you can still see, and the Verdi places you can visit instead, all within a few kilometres.

The quick answer

No. Villa Verdi has been closed to visitors since 2022. The Italian state acquired it by expropriation in December 2024, and emergency roof repairs followed in 2025; a EUR 6.5 million restoration is funded, but as of September 2026 the works had not started, and there is no reopening date. You can see the villa only from outside. Verdi's birthplace at Roncole and his sites in Busseto are open, Tuesday to Sunday.

Green fields with red poppies and a line of trees under a sky of white clouds on the flat Po plain — The flat plain between Busseto and Sant'Agata.

Is Villa Verdi at Sant'Agata open to visitors?

No. It has been closed since 2022, and as of September 2026 there is no reopening date. No tour goes inside.

If you see opening hours or ticket prices for Villa Verdi on another site, they are from before 2022. Do not plan a trip around a visit inside.

Who owns Villa Verdi now?

The Italian state, which acquired it by expropriation in December 2024.

Emergency repairs to the roof were carried out in 2025, for about EUR 375,000. A restoration of EUR 6.5 million has been funded, but on 13 September 2026 the Italian news site Il Post reported that the works had not yet begun, as the conductor Riccardo Muti publicly appealed for the house to be saved.

Flat ploughed fields with low farm buildings, poplars and a distant church tower under a hazy sky — Verdi's country: farmland he knew and farmed himself.

What is the story of Villa Verdi?

Verdi bought the land in 1844, building began in 1848, and in 1851 he moved in with Giuseppina Strepponi, who later became his second wife.

By then he was famous, and Sant'Agata became his retreat from the opera houses: here he ran his farms, laid out the park and wrote much of his mature work, in the years from Rigoletto (1851) to Aida (1871). He married Strepponi on 29 August 1859 at Collonges-sous-Salève, a village then part of Piedmont. The rest of his life, from Roncole to Milan, is told in Verdi's life in places.

A painted portrait of the old Verdi in a black top hat, with a white beard and a white scarf — Verdi in old age, the master of Sant'Agata.

Where is Sant'Agata?

In the comune of Villanova sull'Arda, across the border in the province of Piacenza, about 3.5 km north of Busseto.

It is a short drive or bike ride from Busseto across flat farmland. There is no public transport worth relying on for the last stretch, so plan on a car, a bike or a taxi. For trains and roads to Busseto, see how to get to Busseto.

No car? A day from Parma with transport, culatello and Busseto's Teatro Verdi, with free cancellation.

Check dates for the culatello and Teatro Verdi day

Can you see Villa Verdi from outside?

Only from outside, from the road. The house is closed, so respect the closure and do not try to enter the grounds.

Stopping to look is a gentle way to close a Verdi day, especially in the soft light of late afternoon. Treat it as a view, not a visit, and combine it with the places that are open.

What can you visit instead of Villa Verdi?

His birthplace at Roncole (EUR 6), the Teatro Verdi and Casa Barezzi in Busseto (EUR 15 together with the birthplace), and the Museo Nazionale Giuseppe Verdi at Villa Pallavicino (EUR 9).

All of them are within about 10 km of Sant'Agata and open Tuesday to Sunday, with a lunch break from 13:00 to 14:30 at the Busseto Live sites. Tickets, hours and a day plan are in the birthplace guide and our guide to Busseto in a day.

Verdi's birthplace at Roncole in low sun, with bare poplars behind, a vine pergola and a bust beside the door — The birthplace at Roncole is open, and only a short drive away.

Culatello, Parmigiano and Busseto's little theatre on one day from Parma, cancellable up to 24 hours before.

Check dates for the culatello and Teatro Verdi day

Is there a tour that visits Villa Verdi?

No. The private Verdi tours on Viator visit the birthplace, Casa Barezzi and the Busseto museums, not Villa Verdi, and they are non-refundable.

The private Verdi day ($289 per person) is the only tour that goes inside the birthplace, with Casa Barezzi, the Rocca, a culatello maker and a four-course lunch; it cannot be cancelled or changed. The grand Verdi tour ($935 per person) adds a private opera concert but skips the birthplace, and it is non-refundable too. Be wary of any listing that promises Villa Verdi.

Verdi's Birthplace, Busseto and Culatello, Private

Inside the birthplace with a private guide, then Casa Barezzi, culatello and lunch. Non-refundable: it cannot be cancelled or changed.

New no reviews yet · 6 hours · from $289

Explore the private Verdi birthplace day

Where else did Verdi live?

In Busseto as a young man, in Milan at the start and end of his career, and in Genoa, where he spent his winters for decades.

He died in Milan in 1901 and is buried at the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti, the rest home for musicians known as Casa Verdi, which he founded. That is not his birthplace, and not Villa Verdi. The whole map of his life is in Verdi's life in places.