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| Map of the villa and surroundings |
Lisiera, altitude 40 m/130 feet above sea level, a hamlet of Bolzano Vicentino; train station at Vicenza about 10 km/6 miles to the southwest.
This project by Palladio for this villa for the Vicentine nobleman Gianfrancesco Valmarana dates to 1563; the original design was comprised of two stories each with a loggia, a bit like the Villa Cornaro at Piombino Dese. But when Valmarana died in 1566, construction was interrupted for many years, and then, based on cost, a nephew gave up on the loggia at the second floor, substituting instead a much lower floor just with windows.
The villa was seriously damaged by bombing during the second world war and more recently has been restored.
Although very different from the original Palladio design, the villa still has a pleasant quality thanks in part to the garden in front.
Latest visit: 2013-02-03
