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| Map of the villa and surroundings |
Montecchio Maggiore, Province of Vicenza, 60 m/197 feet above sea level, Via Vittorio Lombardi, but with the villa entrance off Via Lovara 5; train station at Altavilla Tavernelle at the end of Via Cordellina, or at Vicenza 6 km/4 miles to the northeast. The villa is not easily reached by bicycle; from the station at Altavilla the route along Via Cordellina and Via Lombardi is narrow and with heavy traffic and, therefore, is to be avoided; instead take provincial road SP 35 turning left onto Via Pasubio, Via San Daniele and Via Lovara, a longer route, but almost entirely on bike lanes alongside the roads; from Vicenza to Altavilla there doesn’t seem to be any alternative to the very busy regional highway SR 11 with its narrow bike lane.
The villa was commissioned during the eighteenth century by Carlo Cordellina Molin, a famous Venetian judge, to the architect Giorgio Massari. The villa was constructed between 1735 and 1760.
The design of the villa, following the Palladian style, has two floors with a principal facade characterized by a large loggia [porch] and four Ionic columns as tall as both floors, a triangular pediment with three statues, and a broad stairway. The rear facade is similar but without the loggia and the columns are replaced with flat pilasters and windows; there is a triangular pediment, but with three vases in place of the statues. Inside the villa there are frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo. Next to the villa there are two support structures(*), for the stables and for guest quarters, all surrounded by a huge park and garden.
The villa changed ownership during the nineteenth century to the Lombardi family, and currently is owned by the Province of Vicenza and can be visited for an admission fee.
Latest visit: 2014-01-26