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Cordovado is located at the end of the Province of Pordenone and borders with Portogruaro area.

The XVII century Villa Freschi Piccolomini was built on the ancient ruins of the castle of Cordovado, and underwent some modifications made by Carlo Sigismondo Freschi di Cuccanea. Carlo was from the very family who inherited this property from the noble Attimis at the beginning of the XIX century. In 1820, he demolished the walls opposite the building to extend the park and remodel it with Romanesque style details.
Later on, the surrounding rustic buildings were demolished or modified, undergoing major changes in the south-eastern wings: neo-Renaissance structures now appeared inside the estate. Since 1941, the Piccolomini family from Siena has owned the whole property.

The garden and the park:

They were created around the XVII century villa; the garden is inside the village, while the park stretches outside it. The garden area, in front of and behind the villa, is flat, while the English-style park with its romantic layout develops on slightly different heights by sloping paths.

Carlo Sigismondo Freschi of Cuccanea was a passionate student of mathematics, symbology and botany, therefore he used the remains of previous castle fortifications as suggestive decorations for his new landscaped park.
With great ingenuity he even managed to fake the real size of the park, wisely distributing the plant species, creating games of lights and shadows, and building winding walkways: the result was a much “bigger” facility for owners and visitors alike.
Part of the defensive moat, now dry and full of vegetation, was still used by small rowboats.

Some artificial hills were included in the park. One of them, which used to host an ice cellar, still shows beautiful stone works apparently made of ancient Roman artefacts, often found in the garden.
Another hill, until the 1960s, featured a maze structure with twisting walkways bordered by tall hedges.
Avenues are the main routes of the park.

Plants:

The area facing the villa, called “the Cavallerizza”, is basically a large circular heart-shaped lawn with ten hornbeams around it (Carpinus betulus): they have replaced the original plane trees.
Carriages along this route entered from the main entrance, taking the guests to the main staircase.

In the meadows surrounding the large lawn, there are three magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora), and Japanese maple (Acer palmatum).

In the rear area of the villa, there is a large lawn (once partly made of gravel) surrounded by lush vegetation and ancient walls. From there, visitors can see an ancient specimen of Platanus orientalis. Behind the ancient walls, there is a boxwood topiary composition, while along the internal partitioning paths, there are some vases of lemons (Citrus × limon).

Worth knowing:

there are two centenary specimens of Sophora japonica and Morus alba, and a beautiful collection of ancient roses.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)