The Barchessa Valmarana belongs to the rich artistic treasures collectively known as the Villas of the Veneto region. The Barchessa is all that remains of the 17th century Villa Valmarana which originally consisted of two Barchesse, one emerging from each side of the central villa. Until the end of the 17th century, the Barchessa was that part of the Villa used for agriculture, as grainary, and under whose immense porch boats were stored so they wouldn’t disturb the flow of traffic along the Brenta canal if just tied along shore. Thus, from the use of the Barchessa to store these boats (barche, in Italian) originates the the name Barchessa. The 17th century, the last century of the Marine Republic of Venice, was characterized by an ostentatious and hedonistic lifestyle typified by lavish parties that took places in the villas along the Brenta. It is precisely on the occasion of such parties, often lasting more than one day, that the Valmarana family found itself with many guests to provide for. The main structure of the Villa where the family itself resided was sufficient to house only family members, so the Barchesse of the main family Villa were transformed into foresterie (guest houses): from the word foresti (indicating relatives or friends) comes the word foresteria.
The interior of the Villa was decorated completely with frescoes so as to demonstrate the ostentatious lifestyle of the Valmarana family. Standing under these decorations, we can almost imagine the great parties thrown by Prospero Valmarana in honor of the representative of the Bej of Tripoli with whom he had negotiated a commercial trade agreement on behalf of the Republic of Venice.
At the end of the last century, the Valmarana family had the main Villa torn down in order to avoid paying luxury taxes on it. With the main residence gone, there remained only the two Barchesse which, insofar as they were used for the practical purposes described earlier, were not considered taxable as luxury buildings. The two Barchesse do not share the same destiny: the one on the left, complete with a small chapel in which one of the late members of the Valmarana family is buries, came to be owned by six families who decided to structurally modify the Barchessa so as to obtain more functional living space; the one on the right first becomes a wine cellar and tavern and is later sold to the sculptor Luciano Minguzzi who takes it upon himself to restore the building and study its frescoes (1964-65). This complete and careful restoration has brought the Barchessa back to its past splendor: the monumental appearance of its vast portico adorned by two Doric columns is a manifestation of the fact it was meant as a symbol of wealth and luxury.
The interior furnishings of the house dating to the seventeenth century, and the park surrounding the Villa merit individual attention and admiration. The park for example, in its classic simplicity, respects the rigid patterns of an Italian style garden in strict interdependence with the entire environment of the Villa.
II Salone Delle Feste
Riviera del Brenta
Villa Valmarana