The Villa and Park Miari de Cumani complex, a Villa-Castle with an attached 19th-century Romantic Park, is located to the south of the Province of Padua and the Euganean Hills, immersed in a vast agricultural panorama.

The neo-Gothic and Venetian style Villa-Castle has medieval origins: the first written testimony from the 14th century tells of a tower house, the original settlement of the Cumani family, who still inhabit the villa, having arrived at the estate in the second half of the 13th century. Over the centuries, the villa has transformed from a large agricultural residence to a noble and bourgeois villa: in the 1970s, Antonia Miari de Cumani decided to make ten rooms of the villa accessible, which house numerous relics and memories of the families and personalities who have lived on the estate. Room by room, one discovers the most authentic local history through writer ancestors, war heroes, influential politicians, and astute entrepreneurs, such as Giacomo Miari de Cumani, the first automobile entrepreneur in Italy.


The Park, which covers an area of eight hectares, dates back to 1856, when Osvaldo Torquato Paoletti, a landscape architect from the Jappelli school, was commissioned by Count Felice Miari to design a romantic style park and an English garden, replacing the pre-existing Brolo. Inspired by a medieval legend recounting the abduction of Elena Fontana by the Witch Gilda of the Desert set in 1180, Paoletti created the Miari de Cumani Park. The Park, with its multiple and evocative natural settings amplified or softened by the light, shadows, or weather conditions of the day, is capable of evoking truly extraordinary emotions in the visitor. Inside, immersed in nature, there are also particular architectural structures including a Nymphaeum, a neoclassical temple dedicated to Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, and a Swiss Cottage. Also present are rare specimens of Taxodium distichum, Fagus sylvatica, and Black Austrian Pine, as well as centuries-old trees.

Located in the historic center of Mel in Borgo Valbelluna, the Palazzo delle Contesse was built in the 17th century by Adriano del Zotto, a wealthy Venetian merchant. The name "delle Contesse" comes from Adriano's romantic life, as he first married Countess Elisabetta Papadopoli and then Countess Elisabetta Tiepolo, both belonging to the Venetian nobility.

In the 18th century, the palace was purchased by the Contarini family, one of the most important families in Venice. The Contarini family renovated the palace and decorated it with frescoes and antique furniture. In the 19th century, the palace was acquired by the De Marchi family, who used it as a private residence. It later passed to the Municipality of Mel.

The palace is an example of Venetian urban residential architecture, three stories high, with a stone facade and an inner courtyard. Inside, it houses a series of frescoes and decorations, including a fresco by the painter Antonio Bettio depicting the "Victory of Aurora over Night," located in the main hall of the palace, showing the goddess Aurora defeating the goddess Night.

Today, the Palazzo delle Contesse is a cultural center that hosts exhibitions, concerts, and other events. It is also home to the Civic Archaeological Museum of Borgo Valbelluna.

In the heart of the Venetian countryside stands an architectural masterpiece designed by Giuseppe Gualdo:  Villa Gualdo, Valmarana, Vendramin Calergi now Palazzo Comunale, an imposing residence, with a central body on four floors flanked by two symmetrical wings. The elegance and majesty of the building are enhanced by three scenic staircases and side entrances. Among the treasures it houses is the splendid sixteenth-century lavabo in the atrium, attributed to the workshop of Palladian masters Giovanni Di Giacomo da Porlezza and Girolamo Pittoni da Lumignano. In the noble hall, now the council chamber, five doors with a horizontal entablature frame stucco busts of Roman emperors, probably from the Neoclassical era. The villa also hosts works by U. Coromaldi and Luigi Tarra, gifts from Marquis Giuseppe Roi, and features a permanent exhibition dedicated to Antonio Fogazzaro. The architectural context is enriched by the Little Church of the Heroes (1832), with a painting by G. Busato, and the former convent of San Marco, now belonging to the diocese of Padua, where Fogazzaro wrote the story Pereat Rocus.

Villa Ferramosca, Sesso, Beggiato, Monti, Berti stands on the ancient foundations of a medieval castle in the Barbano area, nestled in the countryside of Vicenza. Historical and architectural studies confirm that, in 1565, the renowned jurist Girolamo Ferramosca commissioned the construction of the villa from architects Giandomenico and Vincenzo Scamozzi, father and son, both central figures in Venetian Renaissance architecture. The project is deeply rooted in the noble Palladian tradition, showcasing both monumental grandeur and refined compositional elegance—qualities that continue to captivate today. The villa enjoyed its golden age between the 16th and 17th centuries, during which time the Ferramosca family, a prominent house of the ancient Vicentine nobility, held the feudal estate of Barbano along with numerous other properties throughout the province. Celebrated for their refined tastes and high cultural standing, the Ferramosca were also granted the prestigious title of Venetian nobility in the 17th century. Through a shrewd policy of strategic marriages, the family allied themselves with other important local lineages, thereby further consolidating their wealth and influence. By the late 18th century, following the extinction of the Ferramosca family, the villa passed first to the Sesso family, then to the Antoni Zaccaria, and finally to its last noble residents, the Beggiato family. Today, after decades of neglect, the villa is experiencing a new season of renewal, thanks to an ambitious architectural and structural restoration. The project, passionately and meticulously led by the current owners, seeks to restore the villa to its original splendor. It also aims to enhance the entire estate, interpreting it as part of a broader cultural and social vision. The ultimate goal is to return this landmark to the community as a place of identity, capable of telling the story of the art, ingenuity, and traditions that shaped centuries of both rural and aristocratic life.

Contacts and Visits

Villa Ferramosca is open to visitors by appointment only, due to ongoing restoration work and in compliance with current safety regulations.

To book a visit: (+39) 349 3531847

It is a beautiful and majestic palace dated 22 August 1492 and which was inhabited first by the Medici counts of Verona, later by the Grigolli family, until it was owned by the Bresciani family who donated it to the municipality to become the seat of a nursery school named after "Antonietta Grigolli Bresciani ".

The building, of considerable architectural interest, is supported by face constructions; the ground floor has various faces, the first floor instead has original terracotta floors and ceilings, partly painted with a sharp edge. Built by Luigi Bergamini in 1867, it has a large park and is located in front of the municipal building.

Ca' Conti is a monumental complex of sixteenth-century origin. Originally a Benedictine station, it became the property of the Conti family in 1580. In 1832, Cristoforo Camerini purchased it and it became part of his properties. At the beginning of the 1900s, it was left, along with the surname, by Giovanni Camerini to Giovanni Rusconi, becoming the residence of the Rusconi Camerini family. Surrounded by a wonderful and romantic Italian-style park, enriched with statues and centuries-old plants, it is a place of great charm, where one can admire splendidly preserved seventeenth-century frescoes and stunning decorations by Giovanni Biasin.

Excellences of the villa: Ca' Conti welcomes its guests in a beautifully preserved courtyard. The imposing threshing floor (aia) made of trachyte is surrounded by the barchessa, stables, and other agricultural annexes, which narrate the story of daily life dedicated to work in the countryside. Among its walls, splendid rural-themed frescoes painted on the occasion of Manfredo Conti's wedding in 1632 and the original furnishings surprise visitors who are struck by the magnificence of the hall that leads to the ancient park. The romantic Italian garden with its statues, icehouses, impressive plants, and pond captivates and fascinates those who visit it.

Excellences of the context: Starting from Ca' Conti, it is possible to visit the beautiful Villa Pisani Bolognesi Scalabrin in Vescovana, Villa Miari de Cumani in Sant'Elena, and the splendid castle of Monselice.

In 1316, the Fracanzan family purchased land and buildings in Orgiano, the original nucleus of the current complex. In the following centuries, the Fracanzans participated in the political life of the area and contributed to the reclamation of the surrounding lands according to the grand projects of the Venetian Republic. In the early 1700s, the Fracanzan family, having become one of the most important in Vicenza, commissioned the Lugano architect Francesco Muttoni to design the villa and garden in order to consolidate their image. The villa hosted an important literary salon and was long frequented by Elisabetta Turra Caminer (Venice 1751 - Orgiano 1796), the first female journalist of the time, known for her Enlightenment ideas. The villa was occupied by Napoleon’s troops after the Battle of Arcole, by Austrian soldiers in 1866, by Italian commands during World War I, and by the Wehrmacht in 1945. In 1870, the assets of the Fracanzans were acquired by the Orgian family and subsequently passed by inheritance to the Piovene family.

Francesco Muttoni (1668 – 1747), of Lugano origin, was called to Vicenza in the late 1600s. A Baroque architect influenced by Borromini due to his frequent trips to Rome, he studied Palladio and published an important work “Architecture of Andrea Palladio from Vicenza” with tables and observations. Many villas and palaces in Vicenza from the early 1700s bear his signature. When Muttoni was summoned by the Fracanzans to Orgiano to design the villa in the early 1700s, he had to blend parts of the old medieval buildings with the new constructions in a particular and binding environmental context. The monumental Baroque structure designed by Muttoni, rare in Veneto, is the subject of study for the numerous decorative elements of the Palladian tradition. The original projects of the villa are located in Washington at the Library of Congress and in private Italian archives. All the interiors of the villa are perfectly furnished and testify to the lifestyles of past centuries. On the ground floor, the villa is set around the column hall, which overlooks the billiard room, the plebiscite room with historical memorabilia, and the dining room with period plates and services. The famous kitchen, with collections of utensils and branches, is known for the 16th-century red marble sink designed by the Veronese Farinati, which according to tradition Napoleon wanted to take to the Louvre. On the first floor, the large ballroom, the ceramics room, the bedrooms with canopies, the Napoleon room, the bathrooms, and the large old laundry room are located.

The name of Villa Ca' Dotta means: "The House of the Dotto".
The Dotto were nobles belonging to a wealthy family from Padua, who inherited land from another important Vicentine family, the Proti. It was the Dotto who later erected the Sunday house in this pleasant location, which was given the name Ca' Dotta.

After several changes in ownership, Villa Ca' Dotta began to fall into disuse, until the last owner decided to donate it to the Municipality of Sarcedo, hoping for a renovation that would make the building available for public use for socio-health purposes.

The Municipality of Sarcedo decided to renovate the villa, also thanks to public funding, to then allocate it for the intended use by the donor. Given the difficulty of repurposing the building, due to structural reasons, the Municipality, ULSS 7, and the Veneto Region initiated another project: Ca' Dotta became a place for the predominantly school-aged population, to promote healthy lifestyles in an "original" way.
 

The first document dates back to January 3, 1255, when Bartolomeo Visconti donates the original settlement of the villa to his aunt, Sister Maura. The vernacularization of the name of the abbess "Mater Maura" gives rise to the name of this residence. The definitive architectural development is attributed to the 15th century, while the frescoes inside were executed during the 1500s on commission from the Murari counts of the Court Brà and are attributed to Bernardino India and the school of Paolo Caliari, known as "Veronese."

Excellences of the villa: The villa is of particular interest for its 15th-century architectural structure characterized by three towers and for the 16th-century frescoes that decorate the halls and the family chapel.