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| Map of the villa and surroundings |
Barbano, a locale within the Comune (municipality) of Grisignano di Zocco, altitude 23 m/75 feet above sea level. Via Vittorio Veneto 105. FS train station at Grisignano di Zocco about 2 km/1.2 miles to the east on the Milano-Verona-Venezia line. Easily reachable from the Treviso-Ostiglia bike route.
The villa was commissioned by Girolamo Ferramosca in 1568 to the architect Giandomenico Scamozzi, father of the more famous Vincenzo, who, later on, brought the project to completion. Name and date are written in Latin over the entrance:
HIERONIMVS FERAMVSCA IVR. VTR. DOCT. ET EQ. MDLXVIII*
The villa consists of a main body with a facade clearly in the style of Palladio, which recalls the facade of Palazzo Chiericati at Vicenza and also Villa Cornaro at Piombino Dese. To the right there is a lower structure, similar to a barchessa, with a portico which extends that of the principal facade. The back facade is different, though; the main body has a cylindrical protuberance which corresponds to an internal stairway; by contrast, the building to the side has an arched portico, surmounted by a triangular pediment. The complex continues with a low service building along the street which connects it to the pre-existing oratorio (chapel) of Sant'Ambrogio. The overall site plan is in the form of an L.
The villa has changed hands many times over the past four and a half centuries; it is now owned by the Berti family.
Although the villa had fallen into ruin, for several years now it has been under restoration at a very slow pace, and only now (2021), finally freed from most of the scaffolding, it is beginning to be visible. It should already be accessible, in spite of the ongoing construction. You can get updates from this link or from the one below.
Latest visit: 2021-06-13