Stra Things to Do

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When you arrive in front of the riding stables on the opposite side of the pool if you are looking at the stables and turn right inside the garden you will find this amazing statues collections. It look like the put them there as a joke or something i am sorry i do not know the story behind it.
There are heads sticking out the ground, some look angry some look asleep, all of them look quite weird!
I put here some of them for you to see

Behind the villa there is a huge italian garden. There are plenty of trails and lots of different tree and flowers. The whole garden is decorated with statues of different shapes and inspirations. Once in awhile along the trails there are also some modern art sculptures exhibits.
The big pool of water attract ducks and have lot of fish in it.
There are several example of ice cave, the kind of artificial little hill with a room underneath where they used to keep the ice during the summer.

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The huge variety and mix of items purchased in such a short period is beyond imagination. FAttoretto must have traveled Italy nearly the full period of 15 years to attend auctions and purchase such a mix of artifacts and antiques. The tour is only about 2 hours, but you could take a full day viewing the many items of the era.

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The gardens are about 5 acres, and pretty well maintained. They have a laghetto, statues, topiary, and many little items in the nooks and crannies to view. It is a stated tradition that one owner of the Badoer family, in 1700's dug up the back area, where the laghetto is now located to find buried treasures of the 1500's. He never found anything, and had dug down 20 feet, so the hole later was filled with water, by being diverting from the Brenta canal.

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An absolutely fabulous palazzo with construction starting in 1720 by architect Frigmelica, and finish design by Preti due to the death of frigmelica. It was for the Pisani family, one of the most wealthy in the area which had many villas. Alvise Pisani became the 114th Doge the year of the building, and was designed to have 114 rooms. They did not live there very long. It is the largest on the Riviera. The interior frescoes are magnificent and painted by Tiepolo 1760-62, and Amigoni. The interior courtyard is huge and supports the grand ballroom above. It has many columned pillars and enormous statues ringing the area. Grounds emcompases 10 hectares.
When Napoleon conquered the area in late 1700's and due to gambling debts of a grandchild, it sold to Napoleon I. . After the fall of that ruler, it went to the Hapsburg Austrian Empire and remained until 1866. In 1882 it became an Italian public grounds and national monument.
The tour is on the first floor and covers all 114 rooms and ends into the grand ballroom, with lovely frescoe ceilings. The paintings celebrate the glory of the Pisani family, and this ballroom is one of the finest in all of Europe with the red marble and baroque plaster and statues.
Cost is 5 Euro and well worth every penny. Open 9:00 to 19:00 Aprile through Settembre Tuesday through Sunday and Octobre through Marche 9:00 to 16:00. Cost is 5 Euro and grounds 2.50 Euro.

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The main building and Barchessa and chapel were constructed in the late 1719 by Scherimann family. It was a cube shape structure with a big farmhouse and chapel. They had Persian heritage and got involved in Venice trading to become wealthy since 1500's. The main building is square and rather small. Other similar buildings were demolished in earlier years. The Widmann family took control in mid 1700's and they modernized in rococo motif. Since 1883, Somazzi family owned the villa, but later it was re-aquired by the last descendant, Elizabetta, and her son sold it in 1970. Then later it became owned by the Province of Venice.
The grand salon in the middle is two stories of frescoes, and ringed by a wrought iron railing. The ceiling glorifies the Widmann family and the paintings were done by Guiseppe Angeli. The colors are magnificent.
The grounds are only about 2 acres, and in sad condition. It is run down and for some reason not maintained. However, there are three peacocks that highlight the rest of the tour. Villa cost is 5 Euro and grounds only 2 Euro. Open March to Octobre 10:00 to 18:00 and other months until 17:00 ora.

Villa Pisani is the biggest and at least for me the most beautiful of all the Brenta-Villas. I was some days here when visiting a friend, who lives in Stra. Take a guided tour when you have time enough, the park around the villa is also very nice.
Sorry, I have no photos, I gave up takig my heavy camera with me, but you get great postcards there.

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Ulderico Fatteoretto purchased the villa after WWI and was modernized. Around 1960, his son Luigino, for 15 years began assembling a collection of antiques and artifacts than span from 1500's to early 1900's. The collection is over 30,000 items that includes some Murano artware, tools, machinery, doll making items, musical instruments, dress and shoe making equipment, wine making items, and many carriages and Napoleonic era artifacts. They are housed in barns and servants quarters in the back of the villa.
They operate a wine and beer making business that is in the rear of the property, and is said to be rather successful by selling most goods to Venizia area. The family are very proud of the antiques and pleasant folks