PALLADIO www.provincia..it THE ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE OF THE di Maser Comune di

Emo villa di Maser

Built between 1558 and 1560, this villa was commissioned by Leonardo VILLA EMO Emo, a member FANZOLO DI of one of the oldest families VEDELAGO in the , which had owned estates in Fanzolo since the 15th century. In 1565 he married Cornelia Grimani, the niece of Francesco Badoer, the commissioner of the namesake Palladian Villa of Fratta Polesine. He held highly prestigious offices in the Magistratures of the Republic of , commissioner's request to use economical side, whereas the lateral porticoes were and was Podesta of Chioggia, Health materials such as bricks or plaster, while intended to house, in Palladio’s own words, Minister, Director of the Fiscal Authority, conveying the classical principles of “cellars, barns, and stables”, bordered on Minister of Justice, Director of Commerce harmony and proportion with architectural both sides with “dovecotes, providing a and Member of the Senate. The rural villa lines and shapes reduced to the essential. useful service to the owner and embellishing pattern, which combined the demands of The main body of the building, used as the the place”. This arrangement allowed country life with a new style inspired by owner's private residence, featured a "a full-length roofed space" thanks to the classical architecture, reached a new level classical pronaos supported by four Doric balanced alternation of porticoes and with Villa Emo. columns, a vestibule, a hall and three columns. Around the mid-18th century (1508-1580) skilfully seconded the symmetrically arranged rooms on either some radical restoration works unified

these porticoes with the master's house. The interiors of the first floor were frescoed by Battista Zelotti (1526-1578), a friend and close collaborator of Veronese. They illustrate episodes from mythology and Roman history and celebrate the subduing of passions and the triumph of marital virtues based on the popular cultural and moral views of the new landowning aristocracy. The decorative festoons of the loggia and the rooms depict some ears of maize, a cereal grass coming from the "New World" which was soon "adopted" in the Emo lands. The Villa belonged to the Emo family for 450 years. In 2005 it was acquired by the Credito Trevigiano Bank which, in line with its mission as a "socially committed" bank, wanted to lend its support to the protection of this "World Heritage Site" from greed and speculation and assign it a new financial role - the farm has now become the bank's headquarters - Villa Emo: aerial view, frescoes by Battista Zelotti and a modern cultural and socio- (detail), the first floor with frescoes by Zelotti, environmental function. a view of one of the porticoes.

"With loggias on both sides, featuring two dovecotes at VILLA DI their ends. Underneath MASER these, a wine-making MASER area, stables and all the other places serving the Villa”. So did Andrea Palladio in 1570 in his "I quattro libri dell'Architettura" ("Four Books on Architecture") describe the agricultural function of Villa Maser, the only one of Palladio's which has preserved up until the present day its role as a land-management centre with an abundant production of high-quality wine, oil, fruit Surrounded by a spectacular landscape at and production. It also features a marvellous and vegetables. Built between 1550 and the foot of the green Maser hills, the Villa variety of decor. Inside, 1560 for the Barbaro brothers on the consists of variously shaped constructions painted one of the most extraordinary mediaeval foundations of a pre-existing with different uses, positioned along the series of 16th century frescoes in Veneto, construction, the Villa was also conceived same axis: the estate house and porticoes indicating the role played by the building in as a portentous hydraulic engineering form a compact unit underlying the close the study of the arts and intellectual work, housing the water collection tank connection between architecture and contemplation, with the interiors of the Villa both for domestic use and land irrigation. agriculture, art and landscape, entertainment clinked to the surrounding landscape and today the subject of scrupulous preservation design: the humanistic culture of the work. The view from almost all the rooms Barbaro brothers considerably influenced stretches across the hills and plains from Palladio’s work. At the back of the building the central axis of Viale dei Tigli, leading lies the Nymphaeum, an exedra with a south from Neptune's fountain. fish-pond featuring statues by Alessandro Plastic decorations were commissioned to Vittoria and Marc’Antonio Barbaro. Alessandro Vittoria, a brilliant pupil of On the northern hillock, a charming cottage Sansovino, who carried out the stucco houses the Museum of Carriages, a works throughout the Villa. The exceptio- fascinating collection of Italian and foreign nal character of Villa Maser also lies in the vehicles with origins spanning past centuries, key role taken by the commissioners in its while the 19th-century Cellar lies to the west. Along the provincial street, the Tempietto (small Temple) was originally intended as the Villa's Chapel and later became the Parish Church of the village of Maser. It was designed after the architectural pattern of the Roman Pantheon, and was enriched with soft stone statues by Orazio Marinali and, inside, with stuccos by Vittoria. Together with the Olympic Theatre in , the Tempietto is the last of Palladio's works; in fact, he is said to have died in Maser. Villa Maser has been recognised by U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage since 1996. The easternmost of Palladio's villas, Villa Zeno in Donegal di is also VILLA ZENO among the least known. CESSALTO Undergoing substantial modifications over the centuries as it was adapted for agricultural use, the Villa is currently in need of renovation and public visits are limited. It has nonetheless preserved its original charm arising from its position and the architectural solution worked out by Palladio, who outlined two different designs for each façade and reversed the 1550 and 1560 for Vicenza Podesta Marco Above, Villa Maser: façade, Nymphaeum, the usual idea of arranging its constituent Zeno - a representative of one of the most Tempietto, frescoes by Paolo Veronese (detail) parts. The main windowless façade faces powerful Venetian families - belongs to Above this side, a view of Villa Zeno South and has one large thermal-style Palladio’s great commissioning era as do glazing; the secondary one, facing North, Villa Maser and Villa Emo. features a loggia supported by three Some peculiarities in its plans reveal that All Villas have been arcades - the latter being the only original Palladio converted a pre-existing building included in the UNESCO surviving portion. The Villa, built between to create the final shape of the Villa. World Heritage.

INFORMATION

Tourist Bureau (IAT) TREVISO tel. +39 0422 547632 - [email protected] CASTELFRANCO V.TO tel. +39 0423 491416 - [email protected] tel. +39 0423 529046 - [email protected] www.provincia.treviso.it - www.turismo.provincia.treviso.it

PACKAGE HOLIDAY RESERVATION TOURISM PROMOTION AUTHORITY tel. +39 0422 541052 - fax +39 0422 591195 www.marcatreviso.it - [email protected]

RESERVATION FOR EVENTS AND VISITS TO VILLAS

VILLA MASER tel. +39 0423 923004 - fax +39 0423 923002 www.villadimaser.it - [email protected]

VILLA EMO FOUNDATION tel. +39 0423 701244 - fax +39 0423 487043 www.villaemo.org - [email protected]

MASER and VEDELAGO

Maser and Fanzolo di Vedelago are both situated in the Province of Treviso not far from Venice, and may be reached Treviso by road: A27 Venezia-Belluno (exit Treviso nord); Maser is reached Milan Venice via SR 348 and SS 248, while Fanzolo di Vedelago via SP 667 and SR 53. Bologna PROVINCE OF BELLUNO by plane: (Treviso), Marco Polo (Venice) airports PROVINCE OF by rail: , ; , Fanzolo. PORDENONE Rome Idea and layout: Frontiere, progetti per comunicare - www.frontiereprogetti.com Photos: FAST Province of Treviso, Paolo Zambon, Ruggero Piccoli; archives Villa Maser and Maser Town Council; archives of Fondazione Villa Emo; Cover: drawings from "I quattro libri dell'Architettura" QLA, by A.Palladio Maser Translations: Studio Congia Asolo Montebelluna ORGANISED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Fanzolo di Cessalto Vedelago Castelfranco PROVINCE OF VICENZA Veneto Maser TREVISO Vedelago Comune di Maser Comune di Vedelago

Padua Venice PROVINCE OF PADUA PROVINCE OF VENICE