Giardino di Pojega - Villa Rizzardi | Grandi Giardini Italiani

History

In 1783 Count Antonio Rizzardi commissioned the architect Luigi Trezza to create a garden in the middle of the Poiega vineyard in Valpolicella, an area always dedicated to grape culture. This garden was intended to reconcile spectacular, formal Italian traditions with those of the romantic, informal landscape style.
The park extends over 54.000 m2 on three parallel levels, focussing on the architectural structures in Trezza's original project which have all survived intact.
As a culmination of the “green” architectural features, such as the long hornbeam avenue facing the villa, is a richly complex iconographic programme involving a remarkable number of stone statues by Muttoni, animating the scenery and footpaths, beginning with the great outdoor amphitheatre, modelled on classical theatres, with box hedge steps and hornbeam niches housing mythological statues. From the theatre, through a colonnade of perfectly trimmed cypresses, it is possible to make out the lemon-houses facing the box parterre, several steps above the little lake.
The highest level of the garden is the most romantic and informal with a copse of hornbeams, holm oaks, yews, maples and Chinese palms (Trachycarpus fortunei), inhabited by stone animals. An enchanting circular temple suddenly appears through the trees, with a green dome created by hornbeams and windows framing the vegetation between the statues: an invitation to stop strolling and pause in the cool, cosy, almost magical enchantment of this spot, where the genius loci illustrates the superb mediation between nature and culture.

Now it is possible to admire the Garden restored to its ancient splendor, thanks to a careful renovation, made possible by the funds obtained with the NRRP.

Useful information

✦ All visits to the Garden culminate with a glass of wine produced in the estate at the wine shop. You can also choose one of wine tasting offers or create your own customized experience.
✦ Wide parking availability
✦ Web app with audio guide in Italian, English and German
✦ Can also be reached by bike (bike station with repair kit and pump available)
✦ Ideal itinerary for families. The web app includes a children's version with a dedicated itinerary and treasure hunt.
✦ Recommended to wear comfortable clothes, sun lotion and a hat in summer
✦ The Garden is on various levels connected by stairs, as per the original concept. Alternative routes are provided for visitors with reduced mobility, however we would like to point out that the paths may have some slopes
✦ The Garden is also accessible to visually disabled and blind visitors thanks to the provision of tactile panels
✦ Small dogs on a leash permitted

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl