Villa Velo Zabeo is a villa of sixteenth-century origins commissioned by the Velo counts, a noble and powerful family of the area, near an ancient medieval fortress whose remains are still visible on a nearby hill.
The monumental complex was built at the behest of Count Girolamo di Velo in 1752. It consists of a set of buildings that present diverse but coherent characteristics, forming an exceptional architectural unicum, further enhanced by a striking green setting: the historic garden and the secular park with the fishpond; the massive construction of fourteenth-century origin; the long eighteenth-century wing attached to the west with an Italian garden behind it; the porch with a dovecote that concludes the courtyard. Additionally, there is the family chapel, located before the entrance and adorned with valuable sculptures from the Marinali school.
In the wide courtyard, at the center we find the Egyptian column, broken from porphyry, transported from the Baths of Caracalla by Egidio di Velo Girolamo to beautify the park. This column became famous thanks to the description by the great Vicentine novelist Antonio Fogazzaro in his novel “Daniele Cortis”.
The section connecting the ancient palace and the farmhouse was created in the mid-eighteenth century. The facade is a remarkable 43 meters long: a wide and solemn staircase serves as a prologue to the arched entrance door, complete with a triangular pediment. Flanking the entrance portal are two elegant "serlianas" equipped with balconies with pilasters. Inside, the visitor is immediately struck by the sumptuousness of the environment, especially due to the stuccos and frescoes on the walls of the central hall, depicting scenes from the Napoleonic epics, realized by Giobatta Canal.
