Pontecasale
Villa Garzoni: history and curiosities
Villa Garzoni is a magnificent Venetian villa located in Pontecasale, a fraction of the municipality of Candiana, in the province of Padua. The villa was designed by Jacopo Sansovino around 1540 and was built for the Garzoni family, a family of Emilian origins who moved to Venice for commercial reasons in the thirteenth century.
The history of the Garzoni family
Filippo Garzoni di Natale, one of the Garzoni descendants, was elected Misericordia at the end of the fifteenth century and a few years later Garzone Garzoni di Giovanni also obtained citizenship in the Republic of Venice. Thanks to these events, Garzone's sons became part of the nobility through access to the Maggior Consiglio.
Purchase of land in Pontecasale
In 1430, thanks to their social and financial position, the Garzoni descendants opened a Venetian bank that allowed them to acquire great financial power, which would be used to build the villa in the Paduan territory. In 1440, the Signoria of Venice confiscated the lands of Alvise del Verme and put them up for auction. The Malvezzi family purchased the lands, but Filippo Garzoni managed to obtain a part from them and subsequently, in 1442, he obtained directly from Del Verme the properties for cultivation and grazing.
Natale Garzoni
Natale Garzoni, son of Filippo Garzoni, managed the property from the early 1500s by carrying out economic activity by renting land and houses to peasant families. He had erected a country residence that allowed him to follow the economic activity of the property more closely. After Natale's death, his sons Alvise Garzoni and Girolamo Garzoni decided to replace the old country house with a new villa, entrusting the design to Jacopo Sansovino.
The decline of the Garzoni family
From the 90s of the fifteenth century, there began a partial decline of the Garzoni family due to errors in trading in the Middle East. The family decided to dedicate themselves to interests on the mainland and to invest capital in reclamation and cultivation. Alvise Corner recognized the Garzoni family's primacy in starting the reclamation in the Paduan territory. Their choice to move their trading to the mainland convinced many Venetian entrepreneurs to buy land properties in Veneto.
The reaffirmation of the Garzoni family
The reaffirmation of the Garzoni family aroused doubts among some, including Girolamo Priuli, who saw their affirmation as a symptom of the Republic's decline. However, despite the doubts, the Garzoni family continued to be successful on the mainland.
Description of Villa Garzoni
Villa Garzoni is located in a dominant position on the low Venetian plain and is characterized by a large Italian garden with numerous fountains, tree-lined avenues, and statues. The villa is spread over two floors and has a large external staircase.
Interior of Villa Garzoni
Inside, the villa presents numerous rooms frescoed by artists from the 16th and 17th centuries, including Annibale Fontana and Jacopo Guarana. Among the most famous rooms in the villa is the hall of mirrors, so named because of the presence of numerous mirrors that decorate the walls.
The Italian garden
The Italian garden of Villa Garzoni is one of the most beautiful and famous in Veneto. Characterized by a large number of fountains, most of which were made in the 17th century, the garden also has tree-lined avenues, statues, and a large lawn. In addition, the garden hosts a dense variety of plants and flowers, including the renowned viburnum, of which the Garzoni family was a great enthusiast.
Curiosities about Villa Garzoni
Villa Garzoni is not only a Venetian villa of great historical and architectural importance, but it is also a place full of curiosities.
A set for the cinema
In the 1980s, Villa Garzoni was chosen as a set for the film "Sesso e volentieri" by Dino Risi. The film, starring Edwige Fenech and Renato Pozzetto, is a comedy that tells the story of a professor looking for a country house to spend his summer vacation.
The botanical garden
In addition to the fountains, statues, and tree-lined avenues, the Italian garden of Villa Garzoni also hosts a botanical garden. Born in 1846, the garden houses a great variety of Mediterranean and subtropical plants.
The Festival of Flowers
Since 1980, Villa Garzoni has hosted the famous Spring Flower Festival every year, an event during which the garden is completely covered with flowers of all kinds and multiple colors. The festival is a very popular attraction for tourists and gardening enthusiasts.
In conclusion, Villa Garzoni is an extraordinary Venetian villa, full of history, art, and beauty, which definitely deserves a visit. Thanks to its position and the numerous curiosities that characterize it, the villa represents a destination of great interest for lovers of beauty, history, and nature.
