Villa Riso, the historic 6.4-acre Brazilian estate of the late great pianist Cesarina Riso, is listed for $21.2 million. This villa’s majestic lineage dates back to the early colonial days of Rio de Janeiro, as one of the first Portuguese settlements—with ties to nobility, maritime, politics, music and art.
The estate was visited by a who’s-who of dignitaries, including a Brazil’s Emperor Pedro II, Leonard Bernstein, Igor Stravinsky, Arturo Toscanini, Maria Callas, and Franco Zeffirelli. Cesarina, who died in January, was one of Brazil’s pre-eminent pianists, a former child prodigy so revered that Bernstein wrote a special 13th birthday composition for her in the late 1950s.
“Thanks to our grandfather Osvaldo Riso, the house [was] always frequented by outstanding personalities in the fields of arts and politics during the first half of the 20th century,” says Pier Francesco Maestrini, Cesarina’s son, who along with sisters Daniela and Sabina are Villa Riso’s heirs.
Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, a picturesque mountain range forest and the local golf club, the property was originally an enormous sugar cane farm that stretched to Barra da Tijuca, producing brown sugar and eventually schnapps. Along with a church, it was one of the first São Conrado neighborhood buildings constructed in the nascent town of Rio de Janeiro.
The villa offers spectacular views of the Pedra da Gávea (the monolithic mountain in Tijuca Forest), located less than a mile from São Conrado Beach. The estate is surrounded by more than 179,000 square feet of landscaped gardens, lawns, tropical trees, private pool, a lake and fountains. Imperial palms with historical significance line the noble entrance.
“The location is one of the most beautiful you can ever visit, in Brazil or abroad,” says Maestrini. “It’s absolutely stunning considering how much beauty, space, history and quiet you can have in such a huge and lush tropical garden that nowadays is immersed in the metropolitan area, but still at the feet of the Tijuca forest.”
The 32,000-square-foot main residence boasts multiple spacious living rooms, a dining room, large kitchen (with adjacent service area), four bedroom suites and its own unique chapel. The home is embellished with centuries-old sculptures, open-air shutters, wood floors, Azulejos tile (Portuguese ceramic), and original balustrades by Brazilian artist Mestre Valentim. Villa Riso is listed by Sylvia Azevedo of Top Villas, and David Stanley.
The villa has changed hands and monikers over the centuries. Initially known as Morgadio de Asseca (named for the Viscount of Asseca), it was later called Fazendinha de São José da Alagoinha da Gávea. One of its first owners was a politician named Salvador Correia de Sá Benevides, son of a Rio de Janeiro governor.
Like a Vanderbilt or Rockefeller mansion, Villa Riso attracted prominent socialites—royalty, politicians, musicians, clergy, landscapers, artists, etc. Friar Custódio, a founder of Jardim Botânico (Rio’s 338-acre, 8000-plant-species botanical gardens) and historian João Capistrano Abreu were frequent visitors. Here, famous painter José Bento de Araújo captured the “Pedra da Gávea” on canvas.
“The history of this mansion is strongly tied to the history of Brasil (sic) itself,” says Maestrini. “Ferreira Viana, who owned the property prior to our grandfather, was Emperor Pedro II’s advisor. In this house, he drew up the Lei Aurea document, signed in 1888 by Princess Isabel, with which the empire abolished slavery.”
That decree was signed in Villa Riso’s library. The six royal palm trees in Villa Riso’s logo represent each ceremonial visit by the emperor to the estate. The colossal palm trees were planted by Emperor Pedro II himself, starting around 1868 when a whale watching expedition led to his first visit to the property. Around 1880, Antonio Ferreira Viana became so enchanted while renting the farm, he eventually bought it.
Following Ferreira Viana’s death, the farm was inherited by his son-in-law Dr. José Pires Brandão, who dismantled the farm and sold off part of the land. Osvaldo Riso, the heirs’ grandfather, bought the land from Brandão’s heirs, renaming it Villa Riso.
Osvaldo and his wife Camelia opened their home to high society cultural events, inviting guests such as poet Gabriela Mistral, novelist Thomas Mann, politician Fiorello La Guardia, novelist Stephan Zweig, Stravinsky, singer Beniamo Gigli, Bernstein, sculptor Alexander Calder, poet Giuseppe Ungaretti, and opera singer Callas. Painter Alberto da Veiga Guignard actually lived at Villa Riso during a rough patch in his life.
By the 1950s, Villa Riso hosted one of the world’s great talents—the young Cesarina, a piano prodigy studying in the company of elite music scholars. In 1953, the 12-year-old made her debut at the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro playing Mozart’s Concerto in D minor, conducted by Oliviero de Fabritiis; and solo conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
In 1954, she traveled Europe, studying in Vienna with Bruno Seidlhofer with colleagues Zubin Mehta, Claudio Abbado and Martha Argerich. In Switzerland and Italy she studied with Edwin Fischer and Carlo Zecchi, respectively. In 1957, she won an award at the Geneva Contest.
She married first husband pianist Jacques Klein in 1958 and dedicated herself to her career, often playing with Klein. She collaborated with second husband Carlos Maestrini (a theater, opera and TV director) as assistant director in Verona, Israel, Berlin, the USA and South America.
After a long restoration by architect-painter Ricardo Sierra, Cesarina opened Villa Riso in December 1982, turning the space into a dynamic social and cultural center. Inspired by its cultural heritage since 1932, rooms, gardens and the chapel were leased for weddings, religious ceremonies, parties, art galleries, photography exhibits, auctions, seminars, dinner parties, etc., which to this day, help maintain Villa Riso.
With Cesarina’s children and grandchildren living abroad (and the considerable effort it takes to maintain Villa Riso), the heirs have decided it’s time to sell.
“Sadly but realistically, we have reached the conclusion of a cycle and it’s time to move on,” says Maestrini. “This place reflects our mother in every corner as if it was an extension of her. This is, for sure, something that touches us deeply and we will never forget.”
