Villa Pisani called La Rocca or La Rocca Pisana is a villa in the town of Lonigo in the Vicenza province built by Vincenzo Scamozzi. In 1576 Vettor Pisani, of the powerful Venetian family, who already held vast agriculture properties in Lonigo, chose a forest-covered hill which dominated the town to construct a villa, destined not as a representative residence, but as a “pastime in healthier air”, far from the heat and the mosquitoes of the plain below. Scamozzi was an architect from Vicenza and student of Andrea Palladio. He built the villa on the remains of one of the more ancient fortresses, called Rocca.
THE LOCATION
The villa can be seen from a great distance and is characterized by a square structure surmounted by an octagonal cupola. The main facade has a Roman staircase that leads to a neo-classic pronao (portico) with six ionic columns, joined by a cogged tympanum at the apex of which rises the cupola. An opening in the top of the cupola illuminates the high, central room of the building. Corresponding to the opening of the cupola there is a marble grill in the floor that gathers the rain water. The view from the villa is magnificent and on clear days spreads to as far as the Alps. Its restoration was charged by the Contessa Rosetta de Lazara Pisani in the 1950s. Click here for the location.
HOW TO GET THERE
BY TRAIN:
There is a train station in Lonigo (10km from the villa) and public transport is available, e.g. bus 236 towards the foot of the hill in Lonigo, 7 minutes. Lonigo station is 27min by local train from Vicenza, and 84min by train from Venezia Santa Lucia (a night train stop).
BY CAR:
The villa is nearby Highway A4 (Milano-Venezia). You have to pay toll, which is worth doing for the time saved. Rental portals are eg. autoeurope or easy terra.
BY PLANE:
Within a circle of 100kms there are a couple of airports serviced by budget airlines. Marco Polo (Venice) is an hour by car, as is Verona Airport, Treviso Airport slighlty more. Bologna and the Milan Airports are a bit further. Look foir example at the lowcostairlines portal for affordable options.
WHERE TO STAY?
There are many hotels, bed and breakfasts and even villas in the area which offer accomodation. Portal booking.com offers more than 20 accommodations in Lonigo, including houses and hotels with pools. A couple of kms from Lonigo is another villa and a large farmhouse to stay. There are many accommodations in all price ranges in Verona, Vincenza and the other charming cities nearby. AirBnB offers more than 300 private rooms and apartments to stay within the area. Fancy a stay in a room on a farm or rent an entire farm? There are more than 422 farmhouses offered at the agriturismo site for the Veneto province alone. To find the perfect campsite in Veneto province check out Camping, Eurocamping, Coolcamping and many others.
THE VILLAGE
The village Lonigo is down the hill, you can walk. There are supermarkets, pharmacies, bakeries and butchers. Larger stores can be reached by car in half an hour. In Italy July is normally very hot.
FANCY A SWIM?
The beaches of Lake Garda are approx. 1 hour drive, as is Venice. The shores of the Adria (Chioggia, Jesolo) are 1 hour 30 minutes by car. The closest public pool is Acqua Planet in Lonigo, a 18 min by car. It is located in Via Filippo Turati 7.
