Oh, we're here! This is one of my favourite places: the Italian garden, with its boxwood hedges weaving regular patterns. Together with the flowerbeds overflowing with blooms, these create a perfect blend of nature and architecture. Admire the main façade of the villa, built in Palladian style with Baroque influences between 1689 and 1693 by the architect Vincenzo Pellesina, a disciple of Palladio: everything is designed to impart solemnity and harmony. This is a magical place, where every step and every breath of wind whispers ancient beauty.
Each time I come here and walk along these beautiful paths, I am reminded of the countless stories my ancestors experienced alongside their masters over the many years that have passed. Did you know? On a July day in 1859, at the conclusion of the Second Italian War of Independence, the carriages of the officers of Franz Joseph of Austria arrived in this garden. They came to discuss peace, and the Emperor himself stayed here for a short time... Though he soon had to leave, as the Sardinian-Piedmontese armies were at the gates!