Artistic Report

THE VILLA

The front façade of the villa shows a texture that, in its composition, is similar to the usual architectural features of the second half of the 17th century.

The peculiar aspect of the front façade (west) is a triangular pediment, with a tympanum showing the coat-of-arms of the Garbinati family and a stone tablet bearing the Latin words: (“REI RUSTICAE INCREMENTO ET AGRICOLARUM COMMODO ANTONIUS GARBINATUS HIERONYMI FILIUS EXCITAVIT MDCLXXII“). The front of the building is formed by a series of Ionic pilasters, with balaustrades in the intercolumns, situated over the ashlars and having the same height as the ground floor. The rest of the front develops symmetrically, with simple and elegant decorating finishes, with grotesque masks on the keystones and with elegant frames around the windows.

A fresco-painted sundial is situated as high as the first floor of the south front of the villa.

The other fronts bear windows with similar frames and iron gratings in 19th century style, which have partially substituted the previous ones. Inside the villa, in the large central hall, four doors with horizontal mouldings are situated. They lead to the four lateral rooms, while the back wall opens into a couple of arches based on an intermediate pilaster, with masks on their top, leading to the stairs obtained in the space of the ancient columbarium tower.

The fireplaces are exquisitely finished: the one situated in the north-west corner room, made of Verona red marble stone in the 16th century, is particularly valuable.
All the previously described elements and architectural decorations are made of Vicenza marble stone.

THE NEOGOTHIC BUILDING AND THE GREENHOUSE

We have already described the origin and the evolution of this unit, whose peculiar feature is the insertion of original gothic elements of great value and remarkable work, all made of Verona red marble stone, integrated and associated in a composition involving other 19th century elements in Vicenza marble stone.

The distinguishing feature of the front façade (south) is a valuable three-mullioned window, put in rectangular reflection, with a double indentation plumed frame, on the top of the three lobes inflected arches which are included in a wide arched lintel with four centres, placed on the side of pateras pierced by pins and matched, on the first floor, by three windows with four lobes in a checked frame.

The west front is remarkable as well, with three one-mullioned windows, framed one by one in a double indented frame, whose poli-lobes inflected arches are surmounted by plumes placed on the side of pateras pierced by pins, surmounted by the same number of four-lobes windows, as for the south front.

An elegant frame decoration, made up by a series of small three-lobes arches, closes the south and the west front.

The holes of the doors and the windows situated on the other two fronts (north and east) are, on the contrary, framed by simple elements made of Vicenza marble stone. The windows have early 1800 gratings, as for the villa described above.

The adjoining greenhouse, whose main front is south-oriented, is divided into eight holes with overlights. Continuing westward to the surrounding walls on the main road, an elegant series of original gothic capitals rises above the corresponding low columnade and ends in a valuable wrought iron gate on the above mentioned walls

THE NORTH RURAL BUILDING

The windows on the first floor, as specified above, are framed by simple straight elements in Vicenza marble stone, with rhomboidal gratings of the early 1800.
The elegant 19th century façade takes up again the 18th century pattern, with two rectangular windows included in a couple of oval windows, all provided with gratings.

The original windows on the ground floor are made exclusively of bricks and their lintel is slightly cambered.

The rhythmic modularity of the framed openings on the first floor, clearly visible before the recent restoration, made the complete philological recovery possible.

THE SOUTH BARCHESSA

The present edifice took the place, between 1813 and 1829, of the pre-existing rural building, whose dimensions were similar to the one described above.

A very elegant columnade, composed by five Doric shafts, holds a trabeation, in Vicenza stone, of valuable neoclassic style.
Every hole in the original doors and windows is framed by simple stone elements with rhomboidal gratings, similar to the ones of the northbarchessa.
The space inside the building, on the ground floor, appears to be variously modulated and divided. A wide hall covers the space of the first floor (it was once destined to the breeding of silkworms).

THE SORROUNDING WALLS

They are made of various materials (mainly stream pebbles and bricks) disposed at intervals and recall the texture of the north front of the complex. A triangular stone moulding rises above the west wall, on the main road. The access to the villa is possible through elegant gates in wrought iron with lead bows, both for pedestrian and for carriages.