GRAND VILLAS BY RIVER BRENTA

The handsome columned porch gives access to the living quarters, beginning with a central large reception hall flanked by smaller rooms, like a Venetian Palazzo.

Greek mythology was a great source of inspiration for Zelotti and Franco, while Ovid, a Roman poet, suggested moral subjects that suited the family education and ambitions.

On the reverse side, a matched pattern of semi-circular symmetrical windows is a pleasure for the eyes.

Among the many famous guests, it is worth mentioning Henry III King of France in 1574, Ferdinand II Duke of Tuscany, Frederick IV of Norway, and Augustus IV of Poland.

Villa Foscari is still the property of Nicolò descendants and was declared Unesco World Heritage in 1994.

We will get in our private car for the “Grand Villas by river Brenta” and drive the road along the tranquil course of the Brenta, lined with historic homes dating from the 17th through the 18th century.

Before the town of Stra, we will notice a long brick wall interrupted by elaborate gateways, ending with a majestic Neo-Classical façade: Villa Pisani, commissioned by the Venetian nobleman Alvise.

Girolamo Frigimelica, an architect from Padua, designed the project in 1721, and finished by his colleague Francesco Preti.

In the early 18th century, Alvise Pisani was Ambassador to the Court of Louis XIV in Versailles and later was elected 114th Doge of Venice. The exciting and luxurious lifestyle enjoyed there prompted him the dream of a private Chateau located in his estates.
Pisani hired the best regional painters for interior decoration, such as Jacopo Guarana for Greek subjects, Francesco Simonini for black and white landscape frescos on the walls. Giuseppe Zais from Belluno, for delicate views of the countryside, and Jacopo Amigoni for daring allegories.

Two celebrated painters in Europe, Giambattista Tiepolo and his son Giandomenico, painted a large ceiling fresco in the ballroom.

They designed a dazzling composition populated with civic and religious allegories, flying angels on pink foamy clouds.

In the far distance, the Virgin Mary overlooks and protects the blessed Pisani family, surrounded by the four Continents, Greek deities, and eternal Fame.

The last descendant of the Pisani, who held Napoleon in high esteem, bequeathed him the Villa. The French Emperor was too busy arranging his military campaigns and entrusted it to his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais.

Occasionally the Villa was used for official ceremonies until it was declared Unesco World Heritage in 1996.

Do not forget to take a stroll in the big park at the rear, adorned with tall trees – magnolias and evergreens – in the 19th century, and walk through the so-called “ garden delights”.

Lovely gazebos, a maze, a long lemon glasshouse, are decorated with balustrades and fine stone statues.

The long canal, stretching back from the Villa, was added in the 20th century and used for water tests.
An impressive stable block marks the park boundary, today used for storage. It will be time to drive back to your point of departure.