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| Map of the villa and surroundings |
Bagnoli di Sopra, province of Padova, altitude 5 m/16 feet above sea level, Piazza Marconi 63; train station at Monselice, about 10 km/6 miles to the northwest. The villa is located along the bassa Padovana [Paduan lowlands] bike route.
This huge villa rises in the center of the village of Bagnoli di Sopra, a village that seems to have developed around the villa.
The Widmann family was a family of merchants who managed to enter the Venetian noble class. In 1656 they commissioned Baldassarre Longhena, an architect best known for the Chiesa della Salute in Venice, to design this large villa on the grounds of a deconsecrated monastery. It is probable that there have been numerous successive phases of work since the original design.
The long main facade, rather asymmetrical and comprised of different building sections, faces north on the village piazza; to the south there is a large park and agricultural lands.
During the eighteenth century the villa, with the name Dominio di Bagnoli, became home to many cultural and theatrical events, in which even (*)Carlo Goldoni was a participant. Since 1917 the villa has been owned by the Milanese Borletti family. Currently it is being used as agricultural lands and a winery, as well as for events and weddings.
Latest visit: 22 June 2013
Latest visit: 2014-05-04
