Villa Valmarana-Ciscato in Seghe di Velo d’Astico

Villa Valmarana is in Seghe, a small hamlet near Velo d’Astico between Piovene and Arsiero and renamed “Villa Carrè” by Fogazzaro in his novel Daniele Cortis. The villa is now owned by the Ciscato family and stands on the foundations of an older palazzo in an enchanting location overlooking the Astico valley. It has been renovated several times over the years, the most important being in 1843, then again in 1925 after it had been badly damaged during the war in 1916. The central body of the villa is Neo-classical while the loggia and portico date back to the eighteenth century and the “colombara”, a kind of dovecote, is attributed to the architect Caregaro-Negrin. The chapel, designed by Pizzoccaro in 1667 and dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, is described as a musical presence in Daniele Cortis:

The little chapel in the Villa Carrè hidden away in a corner of the garden between the railings and a group of firs, had apparently never ceased during the night of the 29th June from tinkling its bells.

Fogazzaro spent lengthy periods in this magnificent villa, which belonged to his in-laws, and which was the home of Elena Carrè, Daniele Cortis’ cousin, in the novel of the same name.