The Loschis acquired the Biron estate in Monteviale in 1436 after a swap contract that the family made with the Benedictine monastery outside the walls of Vicenza of Ss. Felice and Fortunato. Antonio Nicolò Loschi ceded his properties in the vicinity of Angarano to the monastic community, receiving in return the Biron estate, along the waters of Dioma, around which the family's interests had long revolved.
Very little is still known about the subsequent events. It is known that by 1636 the villa was already a respected structure. It was Fabrizio Loschi's wife, the wealthy Elisabetta Poiana, who desired the construction of the small church dedicated to St. Francis, situated in an elevated position at the back of the villa.
The various expansion and redevelopment interventions of the complex, desired by the owners, were carried out over time based on designs and projects by Francesco Muttoni and Ottone Calderari.
Inside the villa, one can admire the numerous frescoes by the great Giambattista Tiepolo, commissioned by Niccolò Loschi to celebrate the public recognition of the title of counts obtained by the family in 1729 from the Republic of Venice.
The iconographic path is inspired by the cardinal virtues of humanity, which are represented by the artist in a simple manner, sometimes ironic, sometimes dramatic. The works belong to the period of Giambattista's early maturity and represent one of the most interesting pictorial cycles of Gian Battista Tiepolo, which opened a successful series of villas and palaces decorated by the artist in Vicenza and the surrounding area.
The historical park surrounding the villa represents a favorable environment for rare species of spontaneous flora and majestic centenary trees, among which the swamp cypress, with its six meters in circumference at a meter and a half from the ground, is considered a national monumental tree. The park is also characterized by the exceptional fauna: just a few steps from the city, deer, badgers, and many other species practically absent from the surrounding plain find refuge, alongside particular birds such as the finch, the great tit, the great spotted woodpecker, and the jay, which require specific tree conditions for their stay and reproduction.
ENTRY
Full ticket (Salone + Park) € 12.00
Group ticket (Salone + Park) € 8.00
Reduced ticket (Salone + Park) € 6.00
Ticket "Shell Grotto and Church of St. Francis" € 5.00.
Reservations for guided tours can be made by contacting: visite@villazileri.com or by calling: +39 3515345013.
