Villa Valmarana lies in the hamlet of Seghe di Velo and was owned by the mother-in-law of novelist Antonio Fogazzaro. Under the name of “Villa Carrè”, it was where Fogazzaro set much of “Daniele Cortis”, an early novel published in 1885. . The novelist was entranced by the beauty of Val d’Astico on his visits to the villa, and its natural surroundings became the setting and soul of his tale, “the very backdrop” for the novel’s events and the complex romance between cousins Elena and Daniele, two of its characters. Daniele was a count and a member of parliament. Elena was the unhappy bride of a ruined baron: a boor and a compulsive gambler. The cousins’ love was hampered by Elena’s sense of marital duty and by Daniele’s all-consuming passion for politics, which culminated in their estrangement and farewell. The setting for their strolls and secret rendezvous was the vast grounds surrounding Villa Valmarana, the River Astico (Rovese, , in the novel) that flows nearby, and the breathtaking amphitheater of mounts Summano (Rumano),(Rumano), Colletti (Passo Piccolo), PriaforàPassoGrande), il Cengio (Monte Barco), il Caviojo (Caviojo (Corno Ducale)and Cimone (Simòn). On their slopes perched the village and prairies of Velo (Villascura) and Casa Cortis (Villa Velo).
The villa’s history and layout
The villa complex comprises a series of new and renovated buildings, with much of the work being carried out by the Portanova branch of the family of counts Velo. The central part of the palazzo, built in 1580, was originally separate from the cottages and included some typically Palladian designs, such as the clean formal facade, the crenellated cornice running along the sides of the attic, and the triangular tympanum. The 18th-century portico-loggia section linked the 17th-century portico and the stalls with the palazzo; the stables with dovecote tower were probably introduced during restoration work in 1843 by the Vicentine architect Antonio Caregaro Negrin, who is mentioned in writings on the villa’s northern façade. Theworkers’ quarters were detached from the complex and intricately decorated during the 1843 renovation work. Finally, the noble chapel, built in 1667, stands at the grounds’ north entrance. Originally owned by the Velo family, the villa was auctioned in 1850 after the family fell on hard times; it was purchased by Senator Lampertico, who later sold it to his sister Giuseppina, wife of Count Angelo Valmarana, Antonio Fogazzaro’s mother- and father-in-law. Today, the entire complex belongs to sisters Carla and Anna Ciscato.
Source: “InCanti fogazzariani”, Giovanni Matteo Filosofo, Editrice Veneta, Vicenza, 2011
