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Villa della Torre Allegrini is located in Fumane, in the province of Verona, in the heart of Valpolicella, an area famous for its excellent wines. The villa, is in fact, surrounded by the highly appreciated Palazzo della Torre vineyard.

A true jewel of the Venetian XVI century, the residence has always been known by the people of Fumane as “el palasso” (“the palace”). It was built by Giulio Della Torre on a pre-existing building dating back to the XIV-XV centuries. The owner was a collector of antiquities and a writer believed to be have been inspired by the work of Giulio Romano (author of Palazzo Te in Mantua), Michele Sanmicheli (the architect of the temple mentioned by Vasari in his “Le vite de’ più eccellenti architetti, pittori, et scultori italiani, da Cimabue insino a’ tempi nostri”), and the decorator Giovanni Battista Scultori. The construction eventually ended around in 1560.

The main peculiarity of this villa is that is not just a country house with annexed farming facilities, but also a place where to find true peace of body and mind – according to the Italian humanistic tradition – with the addition of elements taken from the Bible. That is to say, the very structure of the villa which that starts from below (the Underworld), and soars upwards (Paradise). Everything was designed and built to suit the spiritual needs of Della Torre family, true humanists, closely linked to Church and religion as well.

Until the mid-1800s, the villa was a property of that very family; then, after a period of decline culminating in the Second World War, it was purchased by Girolamo Cazzola in the 1950s. He partially restored the magnificent building.

Since 2008, it has been owned by the Allegrini family, along with the vineyard. The latter has been eventually turned into a charming residence with luxurious bedrooms.

The villa and the gardens

A gate welcomes the visitors to a grass courtyard below. The plan of the building resembles that of an ancient Roman domus: it features several enclosures, with an internal courtyard with a peristyle in the centre, bordered by pillars with Doric capitals in barely hewn stone.

From here, another open courtyard can be accessed, this time featuring a large fish pond with a small stone bridge. A ramp then leads to a meadow, bordered by walls, where there is a tuff grotto which evokes a hell cave, decorated with niches, stone seats and the mask of a demon.
A church with an octagonal plan is annexed to the villa.

Inside the residence, there are four allegorical fireplaces, decorated with stucco masks attributed to Giovan Battista Scultori: they represent, respectively, Satan, a roaring lion (another demonic icon), a Unicorn symbolizing Christ and victory upon evil, and another one with his eyes turned towards the sky.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)