Villa Pisani
The Veneto region of Italy (this area where we're living) is villa-laden. Particularly of note are those designed by Vicenza's son, Palladio. Whenever we drive around, we're likely to see multiple brown signs pointing to some villa or another. For the first several months we were here, I'd just drive around from town to town, keeping my eyes open for Villa Barbarigo, Villa Thiene, or Villa Chiericati. (Ok, sightseeing was maybe a corollary motive to putting T asleep in the back seat since he was starting to resist the taking-of-the-nap.)So, I've seen a lot of villas from the road, but I've only wandered around a few. Most are not open to the public, or are but only with limited hours or by appointment. Additionally, those that are easy to visit are, in my opinion, too expensive. Standard ticket prices are 10 euro, often broken into 5 euro for the exterior and 5 for the interior. I mean, I understand that upkeep of these places must be pretty expensive, but still, have you seen the exchange rate lately? Occasionally, you can wander around the grounds for free,
like the first villa we stumbled upon on a drive, Villa Contarini. When I first arrived, I thought I'd try to see as many of the area villas as I could, just check them off in my booklet of "the most important monuments of Vicenza and surroundings." But in March, when we took the in-laws to Villa Barbaro in Asolo, the first villa I paid to see, I was a little let down. It was interesting, but worth 10 euro? Highly debatable. Check it out here.
Last Sunday, however, Louisiana Gal came a-knockin' after lunch. She pointed out that it was too nice outside NOT to get out of the courtyard. Pictures of Villa Pisani, in the town of Stra, looked promising, and it was open, so we set off for there.
Loved it!
Ten euro was a fair asking price for this place because both inside (144 rooms!) and out are interesting and grand in size. We, however, had fortunate timing because the villa was free (I didn't quite understand why; something to do with a saint's day, I believe, but I wasn’t questioning; just celebrating).
But enough about price. Let's talk layout.
First of all, this eighteenth-century villa (not Palladio’s, by the way) has an excellent location as it is right on the Riviera del Brenta, taking up an entire bend of the river. This villa isn’t hidden from view, either, like some. If you are in Stra, you’re not going to miss it. I would have had to have been on the other side of the river to even come close to getting the entire front of the main building in one shot.
I kinda like these column
dudes in animal drapings; four of them greeted you at the entrance.
Second, the main building, the living area, has two nice courtyards, and pretty much the entire second floor is open to visitors. The rooms have some furniture, good explanation cards in each room, and art throughout.
I guess the biggest draw on the interior is the ballroom because the ceiling was painted (excuse me, frescoed) by Tiepolo (entitled The Glory of the Pisani Family no less), one of the biggies of Venice in the 
1700s. Guess I should have gotten a picture of it, but I didn’t. You can see it at this site, if you want. What I did photogragh in the ballroom were the fake columns and molding, topped with the nearly naked pretty much ignoring the scenes below. I’m sure there is a word for this (this fake molding, not this ignoring—I’d go for nonchalance, maybe), but I’m not going to search for it today. This sort of thing would not pass in the Doge’s Palace in Venice—no, no, no, no. Only the real deal there; that place is serious about its 3-D. But I guess an optical illusion is good enough for the nobility country house.
Third, the grounds are huge. This outdoor bit is the villa’s biggest asset. Before I get too much into my favorite features, the long pond and the maze (and really, how cool is that?), while still on the topic of nobility, I’d like to point out some ridiculousness of extreme wealth.
Do they mean something other than “where domestic animals reside” by this word?
Also, there is a “coffee house.” With its own little moat. Because sometimes it’s just too far to walk back to the house (palace) for some caffeine? Maybe this is where Hitler and Mussolini chatted when they 
conferenced here in 1934. Or where Napoleon negotiated a price for the place when he bought it in 1907. I doubt it. Did Napoleon even negotiate? (Like how I slipped in a little history there? Subtle, I know.)
And (no picture) the villa has its own “orangery.” If I had grown up in Florida, would I’ve known this was a word? I don’t think we have any of those in Idaho, and it’s not just because of the weather.
Ok, back to the gems. A box-hedge maze—you don’t get one of these with every villa. In the center, you can climb up the large pedestal and look at all the other fools getting lost. (Fortunately, there were pool
balls lining the correct way. I didn’t realize until later they were part of a modern art exhibit--more on that in few—but we definitely would have stumbled down some wrong paths without them.) I don't know the purpose of these green labyrinths, but I bet it made for some fun flirting.
Finally, from the main building to the stables 
at the other end of the villa, a long pond stretches with a lily-pad-filled pool at the end.
These were awesome.
I just loved finding the modern sculpture in the classical setting. There is actually an exhibit, “I Classici del Contemporaneo,” of modern art throughout the villa, which I think is just a perfect idea, but these bodies were by far the coolest. I am now a fan of Mimmo Paladino, the sculptor responsible for these works. I really like his funkily (yes, I am going to try and pass that off as a legitimate word) placed sculpture; it’s all about the location.
It was such a nice day, and Villa Pisani was a pleasant way to wile away a few hours.
posted by travelingidahogirl @ 10:47 PM
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