Villa Zileri Motterle

Villa Zileri Motterle is a historic monument just outside the city of Vicenza, set within a vast historic park which is surrounded by open country.
The Historic Park around the Villa is remarkable for the perfect harmony between the natural environment of the surrounding countryside and the historic-cultural nature of the monumental park containing several rare species of spontaneous flora and majestic ancient trees.

The Park was created in the mid 1800s by Antonio Caregaro Negrin based on a project by the Milanese architect Balzaretti. The architect Antonio Marchi modified the preexisting garden by introducing the canons of the English romantic style with curvaceous flower beds, scented flowers and bright colours.

From the artistic point of view Villa Zileri is renowned for being the first villa in Vicenza to have been frescoed in the early 18th century by the emerging artist Giambattista Tiepolo. He had been commissioned by Niccolò Loschi to paint the civil virtues of his noble dynasty, surpassing traditional allegorical schemes in the vivacious invention of patterns and freedom of colour.
There is a “Shell Grotto” on the ground floor, a vaulted room commissioned by Alfonso Loschi to astound his visitors with its rich decoration of shells covering the walls and ceiling, framing frescoes of mythological scenes from the School of Giulio Carpioni.

The Saint Francis Chapel is connected to the Villa. It was commissioned by Countess Elisabetta Poiana, wife of Fabrizio Loschi, in 1600 and subsequently rebuilt by the architect Caregaro Negrin for Countess Drusilla Dal Verme.