During the peaceful years in the middle of the sixteenth century, Italian culture displayed a desire to escape the bustle of the city that is strangely familiar to us today. The manner in which Andrea Palladio realised this ideal of a peaceful but cultured existence is one that had particular influence upon British architects. The fertile plain of the Veneto is sprinkled with archetypal Palladian villas like our own Villa Saraceno; some of these you can visit, but no other can you have to yourselves to taste this life of fulfilled recreation.

The Villa was built c.1550 for Biagio Saraceno, a minor nobleman from Vicenza, to be both country retreat and working farm. Palladio’s designs for the villa show a courtyard of colonnaded barns, although in the event only the main house was built. The adjoining buildings are mostly earlier in date, including the early Renaissance house in which most of you will sleep. The walled grounds provide a sense of seclusion, perfect for a quiet evening stroll in search of a ripe fig (and, if younger members of your party are so inclined, they make a splendid playing field).

After decades of neglect, we found all the buildings in a state of serious decay and their restoration was a lengthy and exciting process. Inside the main house, the original arrangement of entering through a grand sala has been recreated. The sala has huge granaries to explore above and is once again flanked by apartments of spacious rooms in which you will dine and sit. To our delight, beneath later layers of limewash we found lively frescoed friezes running around the sala’s lofty cornices. There are more frescoes in the loggia and sitting-room, which also has an open hearth for log fires on cooler evenings.

Just like the Renaissance noblemen for whom these villas were built, you can easily dip into urban sophistication if you wish. Our villa is little more than an hour from Venice and the towns of Padua and Vicenza are even closer, all full of architectural and modern day delights to discover. The plain rolls away on all sides of the villa, a country of poplars and canals and still mainly agricultural. How you choose to spend your days at the villa is up to you, but the chances are that you too like Palladio’s clients, will appreciate the benefits of villa life.

View our history sheet for this Landmark

Leggi la storia di questo Landmark

Sleeps: 16