Villa Valmarana ai Nani outside Vicenza, Italy

A jewel in the Veneto countryside

I visited the Villa Valmarana ai Nani during one of my stays in Venice while writing my book on the Serenissima. It was a delightful day trip, a pleasant interlude from work, and I longed to wander through the countryside outside Vicenza, where the famed Palladian villas rise gracefully amid the green landscape. Their Renaissance architecture — with classical Greek columns, pediments, and linear harmony — resonated deeply with me, reminding me of my native Athens.

As much as rock and a bare landscape are necessary to highlight the beauty of ancient Greek architecture, so the Renaissance villas of the Veneto need the calming loveliness of the green landscape to relax the eye. After all, they were built as elegant summer houses for the nobles who left their palazzi in the noisy, bustling centre of Vicenza at that time.

Just a short distance from the famous Villa La Rotonda, whose style influenced the taste of the British to build similar villas in the English countryside, a perfectly wrought-iron gate was my entrance to the Villa Valmarana ai Nani. It made such an impression on me from the first moment I saw it, with its clean lines and appealing geometry, as well as its Italian-style gardens, while the green scenery behind was a stage set through which the villa emerged like a fairy tale.

An aerial view of Villa Valmarana ai Nani north of Vicenza

Just as rugged rock sets off the beauty of ancient Greek architecture, so the villas of the Veneto need the gentle loveliness of the countryside to ease the eye. They were conceived as elegant summer residences for the nobility, offering a retreat from the bustling centre of Vicenza. A short distance from the iconic Villa La Rotonda, whose symmetry inspired British country houses, a wrought-iron gate welcomed me to the Villa Valmarana ai Nani. At first glance, its clean lines, precise geometry, Italianate gardens, and the green stage behind it evoked a fairy-tale elegance.

The entrance to Villa Valmarana ai Nani, Vicenza

Inside, I encountered the brilliance of Gianbattista Tiepolo. In 1757, Giustino Valmarana, a scion of Vicenza’s old nobility, commissioned Tiepolo to adorn eight hundred square metres of walls with frescoes. Already celebrated for his work on Venice’s Grand Canal palaces, Tiepolo painted mythological narratives favoured by the owner, bringing poetry and drama to the Palazzina. Stepping into the main hall, I felt transported through history, captivated by Sacrifice of Iphigenia, where the high theatricality of the fresco and Tiepolo’s trompe-l’œil technique made the epic tale of Homer almost tangible.

A banquet at the Palazzina, with The Sacrifice of Iphigenia by Gianbattista Tiepolo in the background

Moving from room to room, I admired further frescoes inspired by Antiquity: the heroic deeds of Achilles from Homer’s Iliad, and the legendary journeys of Aeneas in Virgil’s Aeneid, whose story of leaving Troy to found the Roman lineage was celebrated by Italian nobles in their own palaces. Each scene is more than decoration; it forms a theatrical backdrop for the banquets held today, requiring only crystal, silver, and white linen to complete the table

In the gardens, I lingered at the sunlit Villa Caffè, wondering if Tiepolo’s light had fully faded from my vision; the view before me resembled a painting itself. Every step through Villa Valmarana offered a hidden delight, a quiet revelation for the wandering visitor.

View of the scenery surrounding Villa Valmarana ai Nani

The Foresteria, or guest house, brought a shift from the epic to the everyday. Here, Giandomenico Tiepolo, Gianbattista’s son, painted charming, realistic scenes of rural Venetian life: peasants tending their chores, baskets of eggs, quiet domesticity. Giustino’s descendants, including Maria Carolina Valmarana, recounted how the family’s children once slept among these vivid depictions, growing up immersed in art.

Peasants of the Veneto Countryside on a Hot Summer Day, by Giandomenico Tiepolo, in the Room of Rural Scenes

Other rooms revealed exotic delights: the Chinese Room, with its chinoiserie, depicted mandarins, fabric sellers, and whimsical figures, reflecting the 18th-century fascination with Oriental themes. The final enchantment awaited in a trompe-l’œil staircase, where a Moorish servant appeared to ascend to his master’s room, tray in hand, a playful illusion of movement and perspective.

The exquisite staircase in the Carnival Room, frescoed by Giandomenico Tiepolo

The villa remains privately owned. The Valmarana family continues to cherish it as a country retreat, with cousins Giulio and Maria Carolina sharing the guardianship of its treasures. Open to the public, the villa welcomes visitors from across the world, hosting weddings, concerts, banquets, and even vintage car rallies, all celebrated within an atmosphere of elegance and profound respect for cultural heritage.

For those of us who seek beauty, history, and refined pleasure, Villa Valmarana ai Nani embodies the very essence of Italy: art and nature intertwined, past and present in harmonious dialogue, and every corner a testament to the enduring power of human creativity.

In My Venice, I recount enchanting stories of the floating city, while also reflecting on life in the magnificent villas of the Veneto