Balì Museum

The Museo del Balì, inaugurated on May 16, 2004, is located inside an ancient and majestic villa in the town of Colli al Metauro, about 15 kilometers from Fano. Surrounded by greenery, the building rises on a hill that embraces a wide panorama, from the Metauro valley below to the Adriatic Sea in the distance. Restored to coincide with the opening of the museum, the Villa del Balì still retains the charm of an ancient 18th-century noble residence. Its four towers were already in the 16th century a perfect vantage point from which the owners, the Negusanti nobles, loved to discover the secrets of the sky. Since then, the history of Balì has been linked to the passion for science and astronomy so much so that today it houses a modern “science center.”

The only villa among the Metauro region's estates to have earned a tourist designation, the Villa del Balì boasts a rich history. As early as 1165, the small church of San Martino, belonging to the Bishop of Fano, already existed here. In 1399, Bishop Giovanni Filippo Negusanti undertook the restoration of the old chapel. By 1564, Vincenzo Negusanti initiated the construction of the "casino" (a small villa or hunting lodge). He also commenced a new restoration of the chapel, which had been damaged by a landslide. Alongside the existing houses, he commissioned the construction of a beautiful villa for his retreat. This villa featured four towers at its corners, functioning as an observatory, as Negusanti was a skilled astronomer. In 1625, Giovanni Andrea Negusanti renovated the villa, introducing modifications that gave it a rectangular shape while preserving the towers, which were later demolished. In 1712, the Negusanti family line died out, and the villa was acquired by the Marcolini family, who used it as a summer residence. In 1817, the Marcolini family left the villa, and the casino came into the possession of the Convitto Nazionale of Fano. It was stripped of its stately embellishments to make way for dormitories. On October 19, 1899, the Festival of Trees, the first of its kind in Italy, was celebrated in the park at the initiative of Professor Guido Baccelli. Today, a plaque commemorates that event. Until after the First World War, the villa was occupied by the Nolfi college before falling into a state of disrepair. Currently, it houses the Museo del Balì. The CRYPT, located beneath the lawn in front of the Villa del Balì, is composed of four Lorraine Crosses, arranged to form four right angles. It is very regular, with one of its arms extending down into a square room situated 7 meters deep: this is the Crypt itself. An enormous WHITE AND RED CROSS is painted on the barrel vault that forms the ceiling. The floor bricks are also arranged to form a cross, at the center of which lies a blind well. An apse and two tabernacles are located opposite the entrance. The entire structure was used for initiations into KNIGHTLY ORDERS, many of which trace their roots back to cryptic traditions. The Knightly Order associated with the Villa del Balì is that of SAINT STEPHEN POPE AND MARTYR. The WELL at the center of the floor is a clear RITUAL SYMBOL. It may represent communication with the underworld, or it could have been used in purification ceremonies preceding a knight's initiation (the VIGIL OF THE SWORD). In the Book of Revelation (9:1), Saint John speaks of the WELL OF THE ABYSS from which FIRE and SULFUR ascend, and where the defeated DEVIL is imprisoned for a thousand years. As a FOUNTAIN of LIFE and a PURIFICATION PATHWAY, the Well is positioned at the center of a CROSS on the floor, recalling the ALCHEMICAL PRIMA MATERIA that dies in the CRUCIBLE to be resurrected purified, spiritualized, and transformed.