Villa Valmarana "ai nani" - Country residence

The villa, built in 1669, was the residence of the Vicenza man of letters Gian Maria Bertolo, who in his testament bequeathed money for the founding of the City Library Bertoliana.
In the 18th century the Counts Valmarana bought it and transformed it into what is the villa today. The entrance, the lodge and stables were added. The name of the architect is not known for certain; the extensions have been attributed to Francesco Muttoni, but also Giorgio Massari.
The country residence, as opposed to the little Bertolo villa, was built on one floor and crowned by a tympanum with statues.
In 1757, Count Giustino Valmarana invited Gianbattista Tiepolo and his son Giandomenico to paint the villa with frescoes. They produced one of the most important cycles of frescoes in the whole Vicenza area.
The central salon has the story of "The Sacrifice of Iphigenia". In the two rooms on the right are depicted scenes from the "Iliad" and "Orlando Furioso", while the left-hand rooms are dedicated to the epics of the "Aeniad" and "Jerusalem Liberated".
The interiors are rich with optical effects by the trompe l'oeil artist Girolamo Mengozzi Colonna.
The surrounding walls, with pilasters and ashlar-work, are crowned by statues of dwarfs, which give the villa its name ("ai nani").

Address: via dei Nani, 2/8 - tel. 0444 543976 - 544546 - 321803

Opening times: from 15 March to 5 November