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This villa was built on an ancient medieval fortress, in the first half of the 1500s, by Cardinal Francesco Pisani, a Venetian patrician and the Bishop of Padua. The building was intended as the administrative seat of the land properties acquired by the family in 1478 in the Lower Padua area. The grandeur and beauty of the façade and the interiors are a true testament to the power, the prestige and the remarkable wealth of the noble family.

THE VILLA

The building features an elongated central body with arcaded “barchesse”, a dovecote and a stable. A large belvedere terrace on the main floor offer a magnificent view of the large garden. The facade is shaded by a vine pergola that marks the space in front of the villa and leads to the garden. The central hall is cruciform, very bright and enriched by marble of different shades, a pink Venetian floor, and decorated beams on the ceiling. The side rooms, on the other hand, host frescoes by well-known painters of the XVI century, such as Giovanni Battista Zelotti, Dario Varotari, and the Flemish Ludovico Toeput – also known as known as Pozzoserrato, and Paolo Veronese.

THE GARDEN

It is a large formal garden, with centuries-old and monumental plants (even if they were not originally planted here), designed to be looked at from above, enjoying it fan-shaped layout, the boxwood flowerbeds (Buxus sempervirens), several bulbous plants and beautiful flowers.
The garden represents the union between England, expressed in the Victorian style, and the tradition of the Italian lawns featuring many statues, vases, and fountains. There are yew hedges (Taxus baccata) pruned as solids which tell the external prairie from the park.
The latter is served by a perimetral avenue with paths leading to the natural ice-shed, the rock garden, the false ruins, and the family chapel: an important and unique example of Elizabethan neo-Gothic style, built in 1860. Visitors can also access the XIX-century theatre and the temple dedicated to Saint Anthony.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)