Villa Widmann – Foscari

The Villa Widmann, also called Widmann-Rezzonico-Foscari, is a villa at the shores of the river Brenta located in the small town of Mira, between Venice and Padua.

The present palace was built in the 18th century. A succession of families including the Sceriman, Donà, Foscari, had previously owned the site. The present palace was apparently designed and built in 1719 by Alessandro (?...Andrea) Tirali, a Venetian architect. The Widmanns commissioned the internal frescoes mainly by Giuseppe Angeli, a pupil of Giambattista Piazzetta, and Gerolamo Mengozzi Colonna, who worked with Tiepolo. The Villa is surrounded by cypress and horse-chestnut trees, and gardens interspersed by several stone statues of gods, nymphs and cupids. A barchessa (a protruding arcade wing usually functioning as storage sheds or stables) and a small church, where Elisabetta and Arianna Widmann are buried, are also part of the Villa's buildings.