Rosella Zanardini Rolla

Rosella was born in Genoa (Italy) in 1966. After a long residency in Milan and London in 1995, she moved to Canton Ticino. She lives with her husband Philip Rolla in Bruzella, Valle di Muggio. Since 2002 they have been promoting and financing non-profit cultural projects.
In 2000 the couple renovated the former church of Santa Caterina in Como that in 2002 became 

borgovico33 the cultural association of which Rosella was founder and director. Until 2008, a program of exhibitions, performances and concerts took place under her direction, twenty-five projects that involved famous artists such as Dan Graham but also younger and more emerging artists such as Andrea Crociani and Davide Cascio from Ticino. Collaborations were born with international galleries, curators, museums and local institutions such as the Ratti Foundation and the NABA Academy in Milan.
Since 1997 she has collected art with her husband, initially, minimalist works and, later, photography which becomes a great passion. In 2008 an agreement was reached with the Municipality of Bruzella, obtaining the use of the former kindergarten, the perfect location for a private photography museum. In 2010 the Rolla Foundation was founded.
Under the direction of Rosella in eleven years, there have been nineteen exhibitions, some monographic (Josef Sudek, Ruth Hallensleben, Edward Weston, Hans Finsler, Miroslav Tichý, Luisa Lambri - Maureen Gallace, Lawrence Carroll, Willi Moegle, Hiroshi Sugimoto) or thematic (Her, Urban, Houses, White City, Trees, It, American Dream, Factory) and the participation in projects with ProHelvetia and with the Biennale dell’immagine of Chiasso.


Rosella is member of the honorary committee of the

Biennale dell’immagine of Chiasso and the committee of ProMuseo

Associazione Amici Sostenitori Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana MASI.