Villa Garzoni (Pontecasale)

Thanks to this event, the sons of Garzone become part of the nobility in 1488, through their access to the Maggior Consiglio, while the rest of the descendants obtained no title.

[2] In 1430 the descendants of Garzone, given their social position, established a Venetian bank and acquired wealth, allowing them to build a villa in the Padua area.

After Natale's death in 1528, his sons Alvise and Girolamo Garzoni replaced the house with a new one, giving the job of designer to Jacopo Sansovino.

[1][2][3] In 1687 an unknown person published a report of a pastoral visit in which it was stated that the villa was the work of Palladio, although there are no direct documents of his presence in the building site[2] In 1574 a descendant of the family, Alvise Garzoni, wrote a codicil to the will which represents an indirect source of early contacts between Sansovino and the patrons of the Villa.

Documents show that it was Alvise Garzoni himself who contacted Jacopo Sansovino, never mentioned as an architect, asking him to deal with the design and renovation of the villa.

Marcantonio made alterations, such as the oratory, the new entrance gate, the battlements of the enclosing wall and also lengthened of the barchessa from 13 to 64 arches.

[1] The villa is located in an irregular plot surrounded entirely by a wall; the main facade is positioned to the south and access to the property has a large gate, on the sides of which are two pillars surmounted by statues, which opens onto an avenue to the entrance.

[1] The main facade has two levels above a slightly raised basement, in the center of which is a portico that leads inside the villa.