Photo: Biancamaria Rizzoli, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Historic villa / palace, 18th century
Villa Smeraldi
Villa in Bentivoglio, Italy
Bentivoglio (BO), Emilia-Romagna
At a glance
- Period
- Early modern period, 18th century
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 44°36′12″ N, 11°25′02″ E
- Address
- via Sammarina 35 ‒ Bentivoglio (BO)
History and description
Villa Smeraldi is a rural palace, now museum, along the Canale Navile near the town of Bentivoglio in the Province of Bologna, in the region of Emilia-Romagna of Italy. The villa is the host of the Museum of Peasant Farming Culture (in Italian: Museo della civiltà contadina), which documents the buildings, tools, routines, and daily lives of those involved in rural agriculture from landowner to peasant.
History
Built on the foundations of a series of buildings constructed in the 1700 and 1800s, the Villa Smeraldi complex is known by the surname of its most recent owners. The various structures of the property reveal the duality of its origins.
The villa, once known as a casino or rural palazzo, dates back to 1783, when it belonged to the Counts of Zambeccari. Over the following century, the buildings were expanded, a Neo-Gothic-style tower was added and some free-style gardens were made to surround the villa. In the late second half of the 19th century by Count Gaetano Zucchini and his son Antonio expanded the property. From 1922 to 1942, it was owned by Rigoberto Smeraldi, who engaged in agriculture and raised thoroughbred horses. The property was inherited by Antonio Roversi. During the Second World War the villa was mainly occupied by German army. The province of Bologna acquired the site in 1970 to create the museum.
The "Salone delle Feste" of the piano nobile of the villa was frescoed in the 19th century.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Villa Smeraldi».
Timeline
- 18th centuryBuilt
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
Funo CentergrossTrain, nearest
3.8 km as the crow flies
Villa Smeraldivia Sammarina 35 ‒ Bentivoglio (BO)
Aeroporto di Bologna "Guglielmo Marconi"12.8 km
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the mapMore historic villas and palaces in Emilia-Romagna
- Free 1st Sunday
Frequently asked questions
Where is Villa Smeraldi?
Villa Smeraldi is in Bentivoglio, in the province of Bologna (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. Address: via Sammarina 35 ‒ Bentivoglio (BO). GPS coordinates: 44.60342, 11.41717.
How old is Villa Smeraldi?
Wikidata dates it to the 18th century.
What else is there to see near Villa Smeraldi?
Nearby you’ll find: Museo della civiltà contadina (100 m away), Museum Ferruccio Lamborghini (3.9 km away), Rocca Isolani (6.2 km away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 6 photos
- Emilia-Romagna Bo Bentivoglio Museo della civiltà contadina — Biancamaria Rizzoli, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Villa Smeraldi (San Marino, Bentivoglio) — Threecharlie, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Villa Smeraldi, San Marino di Bentivoglio 08 — Elena Tartaglione & Patafisik, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Villa Smeraldi, torre (San Marino, Bentivoglio) — Threecharlie, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Villa Smeraldi — RaggioConfuso, CC BY 3.0
- 1943-12-01-Timo-a-San-Marino-di-Bentivoglio — Albertomos, CC BY-SA 4.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences