Villa Pellegrini, Cipolla

Villa Pellegrini Cipolla is a gem of late Veronese Enlightenment that has hosted, throughout its history, notable figures: in the 18th century, during the Battle of Rivoli, Napoleon Bonaparte stayed here, and also the President of the Republic Luigi Einaudi often found rest in its rooms and garden during his visits to Verona. The noble Veronese family of Pellegrini has linked its name to Verona over the centuries, leaving the city with two of its greatest monuments – the extraordinary fresco depicting St. George and the Princess, commissioned to Pisanello for the decoration of the family chapel in Sant’Anastasia, and the equally important one of St. Bernardino, built from a design by Michele Sammicheli – has been based in Costermano with extensive landholdings since the 16th century.

The current palace was built starting in 1760 by the engineer Ignazio Pellegrini, brother of the client Leonardo. Very active in Tuscany, he designed for the family property in Castion a classical villa, but with Rococo reminiscences, distant from the Venetian taste, almost a sort of theatrical machine with statues and pinnacles that serves as a scenic backdrop to the garden divided into large terraces leading from the gate to the villa. The wrought-iron gate, elegantly crafted and supported by two pillars adorned with statues, frames the bright red of the villa's facade at the end of a long avenue, rhythmically accented by contrasting pilasters, which stands out clearly against the green backdrop of the hill and the large park behind in an effect of sober elegance.

Highlights of the villa: The spatial distribution inside is also remarkable, with a columned atrium and monumental marble staircase leading to the honor hall decorated with frescoes featuring expansive landscapes, mythological and pastoral scenes (notable is a fresco by Francesco Morone), perfectly attuned to the Arcadian atmosphere of the whole. Chinese-style decor, stucco frames, and silk tapestries adorn the rooms of the villa. There is also a considerable number of other rooms for various purposes and lounges, in a rational distribution that separates them from one another, preserving charming tapestries and Rococo-style decorations. Among the interiors, particular mention should be made of: the central hall. It is the main body of the villa, decorated with imposing frescoes on the two larger walls, enriched by statues of Hercules, Minerva, Mars, and Diana, completed by Spring in human form hovering over the large ceiling. The Chinese-style room. It is the most original room in the entire complex. The walls and ceiling are elegantly painted on plaster with bright colors; the scenes of leisure life in oriental costumes give the room its name and characterize the environment.

The two-colored terracotta elements of the original flooring add charm and refinement to the area. The White Room: It owes its name to the bright white plaster surfaces that make it exceptionally luminous. It combines masterful stuccoes of landscapes with colorful relief compositions. The villa and park are two bodies with a single soul. The layout of the garden, which connects the human-scaled square of the village of Castion to the Villa complex, resonates with European experiences of the 18th century, particularly Versailles: the well-kept hedges and ancient trees, the geometric arrangement of the various green areas ordered into symmetrical sectors, adorned with vases and statues, all create a highly effective scenic movement that diverges from the typical canons of Venetian taste of the time.

Highlights of the context: 2.5 km away: Golf Cà degli Ulivi: A charming golf course. 5 km away: San Zeno di Montagna, from which you can enjoy a splendid panorama of Lake Garda. 5 km away: Garda, a splendid town directly on the shores of Lake Garda.

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