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Nestled on the gentle slopes of the Euganean Hills, among vineyards and districts, Villa Dei Vescovi is a treasure chest wisely restored by the Italian Environment Fund (FAI).
Located in Luvigliano, a hamlet of Torreglia (Padua), this ancient home contains within it an extraordinary example of fresco decoration preceding the pictorial revolution imposed by Paolo Veronese.
THE HISTORY
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Begun to build at the end of the fifteenth century as a place of rest and summer stay of the bishops of Padua, the villa was enlarged in 1501 and later in 1529 and in 1543.
The direction of the works and the reorganization of the agricultural fund were entrusted to the nobleman Alvise Cornaro by the Bishop of Padua who here identified the seat for an intellectual circle gathered around the value of the landscape. The villa was designed on these ideals by the architect Giovanni Maria Falconetto with a rigidly geometrical conception and on the death of the latter, which occurred in 1535, was the object of subsequent interventions conducted by Andrea da Valle, his pupil, and then by Giulio Romano to which one must the ideation of the “bugnato”, or the embossed masonry work, which characterizes the ground floor of the dwelling. The villa, in fact, was born as a refined experiment of humanist culture in which architecture, art and landscape play with each other in continuous visual references in the spaces of the loggias and terraces to realize the well-being of man.
The Frescoes
The frescoes were entrusted at the end of 1543, to the Flemish painter Lambert Sustris. Born in Amsterdam between 1510 and 1515, but active in Rome when he was young, Sustris arrived in Padua in 1541 and then realized, in Villa dei Vescovi’s rooms, frescoes depicting landscapes, scenes and mythological figures related to the classical world.
The Intervention of FAI, visits and events
Donated to FAI by Maria Teresa Olcese Valoti and Pierpaolo Olcese, in 2005, the villa has been restored and brought back to its former glory so much so that today it can not only be visited, but you can also stay in the rooms of the guest house: the mansard of the Vineyard and the Mansarda del Frutteto are available inside the villa. Each apartment can accommodate up to 4 people with an additional bed for children. Each apartment has 2 double bedrooms with bathrooms, a living-dining area with kitchen.
Wine Shop
Near the ticket office of Villa dei Vescovi you will find a wine shop with the best wines and gastronomic products of the Euganean Hills: a welcoming environment open to the public for tastings and sales of the products of the companies of the “Wine Route”.
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