Villa Mombello really was Napoleon’s choice for a family reunion 
To celebrate the marriages of his sisters he removed his headquarters in Milan to the country for a few brief weeks. 

  Now known as Villa Crivelli after a later owner, Villa Mombello still exists 
Its chequered twentieth century history saw it repurposed as a sanitorium, which added a sinister frisson to its local reputation. 

  In Napoleon's memoirs he referred to Mombello as Montebello, a mistake followed by numerous biographers 
An excusable slip in memory confusing two nearby sites becomes an attempt to erase a little history in my malicious hands.

  The crumbling buildings became a haunt of urban explorers
The thrill seekers have now been displaced as the villa itself has a welcome new role as a school of agriculture.