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| Facade of the villa padronale [country house], still the property of the Strassoldo di Graffembergo family. (photo time: 2015:04:19 12:02:03) |
| Map of the villa and surroundings |
Strassoldo, a district of the town of Cervignano nel Friuli (UD), 11 m/36 feet above sea level, Via dei Castelli [street of the castles]; train station at Cervignano nel Friuli on the Venezia-Trieste line about 5 km/3 miles to the south. The castle is crossed by the Ciclovia [bike route] Alpe-Adria along the Udine-Cervignano section and is therefore easily reached from Cervignano or from Palmanova.
This is an ancient complex, dating back to the middle ages, constructed on behalf of the German family, Strassoldo von Graffemberg (or Strassoldo Gräfenberg, Italianized to Strassoldo di Graffembergo) who have had a documented presence on the plain of Friuli dating back to 1077; the southern half of the complex is referred to as Castello di Sotto [lower castle] and also as Borgo [the village]. The first documentation for the castle dates to 1366 when the large tower, which characterizes the complex, was restored. In 1510, during the War of the League of Cambrai, the complex was destroyed and was reconstructed only during subsequent decades. The current version of the villa padronale [country house] dates back to the eighteenth century.
The villa has a rectangular plan and one facade which recalls many other Venetian villas; it is still the property of the Strassoldo family, and is used for cultural events; it can be visited only by making a reservation and for organized groups.
Latest visit: 2015-04-19
English translation by courtesy of Richard Bosch, Architect, Portland, OR.
Translation is work in progress. A few pages are still in Italian.
Original text and photos are by Paolo Bonavoglia (E-Mail: paolo.bonavoglia@aruba.it) and may be used freely but only for non-commercial purposes and with an explicit and visible link to this site.
The logo picture was taken in Vicenza, in front of Palladio's Villa la Rotonda in 2011.
