Villa Rizzardi – Valpolicella Verona

The estate of Pojega, was purchased in 1649 by the Rizzardi family, who were at that time living in Verona. Count Antonio Rizzardi (1742-1808) commissioned the gardens from the famous Architect Luigi Trezza (1752-1823) in 1783. It is one of the last remaining examples of an “ Italian style garden” and is renowned for its outdoor green amphitheatre and the spectacular surrounding views. The original architectural drawings are now preserved in Verona’s Civic Library. Occupying an area of approximately 54000 square meters, the garden features include a temple, a green amphitheatre, stone walls, sculptures, tree tunnels and a lookout. Many of these features were constructed by the technique of bending the trees and the hedges. The resulting landscape, together with the fountains and ponds, has produced a unique and impressive representation of a garden nature. The Villa was restored in 1850’s, in the fifteenth century Venetian style, by Architect Filippo Messedaglia (1823-1901).