Here we are in the Piazza d'Armi! The legends passed down by the ancient dogs of the house tell of the knights of the Maffei family, Lords of Valeggio on behalf of the Republic of Venice between the 17th and 18th centuries. It is said that there were more than three hundred of them, and that they would line up right here every morning before heading out into the streets.
Then, in 1848, it was the turn of the Sardinian-Piedmontese troops, who, under King Carlo Alberto, were stationed right here, following the king, who was staying at the villa. And imagine that in July 1859, the retreating Austrian troops arrived, followed shortly after by Napoleon III's Imperial Guard, who made the villa their headquarters to prepare the Treaty of Villafranca, which ended the Second Italian War of Independence.
Dini, a beautiful white poodle, used to say that during the Second World War, she and her owners were forced to retreat and live in just two rooms of the villa, which had been confiscated by the German army. Every morning, the troops would line up right in this square before heading out for military operations.
Today, this square has changed its appearance: the clinking of glasses and the music of receptions have replaced the memories of war, but the name "Piazza d'Armi" still preserves the memory of its past.