Villa Barbarigo

at Noventa Vicentina

Among villas erected near Vicenza for Venetian patricians, Villa Barbarigo distinguishes itself because it was built for a dogal family , that in the centuries loyally served Serenissima. For this reason it deserves the title of Villa of the Dogi (definition that in the past some authors had not correctly attributed to all the venetian villas). Here everything cooperates to glorify the Barbarigo family: the majesty of the architecture on four floors, the scenographic and solemn façade crowned by daggers and flanked with two wings of porticos, the wide cycle of frescoes that fills an area of approximately 430 sqm. In Noventa since 1497, Barbarigo entrusted a project in 1588 to "mastro muraro Venturin " for a villa with two essential requirements: the search of profit through the agricultural activity (and here the wide "agrarian plaza" contained by porticos) and the glorification of the "gens". In fact, Barbarigo family progressively invested their money in estates in Noventa and were in close relations with local elders. The villa became so, at the same time, impulsive center of agricultural activity, symbol of the prestige and of the economic fortunes of the commissioners and the urban knot around which in centuries extended the settled of Noventa. But the title of "villa of the Dogi" is for it above all in order to the frescoes, realized by artists as Antonio Foler, Antonio Vassillacchi the Aliense and Luca Ferrari from Reggio. If, in fact, the seventeenth century paintings are characterized by close tones, by a more accented literary style, in the noble floor- assigned to public audiences and then more official - are narrated the exploits of more glorious members of the family and are painted the two Dogi Marco and Agostino. Single event in whole history of Venice, they succeeded themselves in the dogal throne (the first was doge from November of 1485, the second from August of 1486), but they governed in very different way, as different was their personality. So, in the room of Marco - peaceful, tolerant and parental- we find near the portrait of the doge the Allegories of the Peace, of the Abundance, of the Obedience, of the Prudence and of the true Wisdom, while the Allegories of the Glory, of the Fortune and of the War painted in the room dedicated to Agostino accentuate his soldierly, intransigent and authoritarian character, that is also in the vigorous portrait by the Aliense.

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