Villa Valmarana

Just outside Vicenza, at the beginning of the Riviera Berica, nestled between the rounded silhouettes of the Berici Hills sloping towards the Bacchiglione river, stands Villa Valmarana ai nani. The name derives from the current owners, the Counts Valmarana, while the adjective ‘ai nani', now an integral part of the name, derives from the 17 statues placed on the surrounding wall.

The villa is actually a complex of 3 distinct buildings: the main building, the guests quarters and the stables. The main building, i.e. the dominical body, was erected at the behest of the jurist Giovanni Maria Bertolo in the second half of the 17th century.

The land on which the villa stands was part of the vast landed estates of Bertolo, who - although he moved to Venice for work - had maintained close ties of affection and interest with his hometown, to which he would eventually leave his precious book collections, which, over the years, would constitute the fundamental nucleus of the Civic Library, which will be called Bertoliana.

He passed away in 1707 and leaving no male heirs, he left his property to his daughter Elisabetta - a nun in the convent of Ognissanti in Padua - and through her, to the religious institute where she resided, who, by alienation, had sold the property to Count Giustino Valmarana on 22 September 1720.

What this villa with its sober lines is known and appreciated for is the treasure it contains: the cycles of frescoes in the main building - by Giambattista Tiepolo - and those in the guest quarters - by his son, Giandomenico. The main building is frescoed with the great ancient epic poems, which had so comforted Count Giustino Valmarana after the death of his wife; the guest quarters are instead frescoed with more contemporary (at the time) themes such as characters and animals of a more naturalistic and bizarre type, country scenes, carnival, etc.

Even, the ancient kitchen of the guest quarters now houses the cafeteria of Villa Valmarana, which, depending on the season, hosts patrons in the frescoed and heated rooms of the Putti and Architetture or under the portico or on the terrace, from which one can enjoy the spectacle of the Valletta del Silenzio, Monte Berico and the 18th-century façade of the Stables of the Villa where Carlo Scarpa lived and worked.

If this short story has intrigued you, contact me to book a tour.

Villa Valmarana

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