VILLA SARACENO THE LANDMARK TRUST (1565-70 - Arch. Palladio)
AGUGLIARO - via Finale 8 - tel/fax 0444 891371
e-mail: lgraham@libero.it
www.landmarktrust.org.uk Apr.-Oct.: wed 14-16
Free admission

After many years of carelessness, Villa Saraceno has been completely and excellently restored by the English company The Landmark Trust.
The villa was built by Palladio around 1548: its design was included in "The four Books of Architec ture" and showed two side-houses corresponding respectively to two wings. But only the side-house on the right was patially built.
In the slightly jutting middle section, according to the scheme already seen in the other buildings (such as Villa Caldo gno or Villa Marcello Curti), the front of the manor-house shows three barrel-vaults crowned by a triangular pediment.
The frescoes of the interios were ordered by Saraceno family in the Si0teenth century, but at present only part of the decoration ca n be seen.
The centre of the loggia vault shows the allegory of Wealth. Whereas a valuable decoration attributed to Domenico Brusasorci can be seen in a side room.
Only few steps separate this villa from another residence of Saraceno family, "Vill a delle Trombe" (Villa of Trumpets), attributed by some historians to Michele Sanmicheli and erected in place of their old castle.