The history of architecture: Villa Bettoni

The project

Villa Bettoni is inserted in a monumental park on the shores of Lake Garda, traversed by delightful valleys set among laurel and bay hedges, and embellished by the scenic perspective architecture that harmoniously connects with the building.

This sumptuous historical residence, not surprisingly called “the little Versailles”, was built by the sixteen brothers of Gian Domenico Bettoni, who with his company transported lemons from Lake Garda to all over Europe, even to the table of Catherine of Russia.

The result is a precious example of exceptional architectural precision, the son of the learned Lombard aristocracy of the eighteenth century.

The central body of the building is spread over four floors and has large stairways surmounted by a balustrade on which there are mythological statues created by Giovanni Battista Locatelli and Francesco Gignaroli.

The works of art kept inside the villa are numerous; to name a few: canvases by Palma il Vecchio, Canaletto, Paolo Veronese, Andrea Celesti, Pitocchetto.

Access to a large garden is given by two foot bridges, designed by the Florentine architect Amerigo Vincenzo Pierallini. Enriched by sculptures by Gian Battista Locatelli, it houses three splendid fountains fed by sources within the park, a man made grotto and two magnificent terraces overlooking the lake.

Where

Gargnano (Italy).

The architect

The first drawings and, so to speak, the general idea of the palace were created by Adriano Cristolfi, one of the most important professional and cultural figures who animated Verona in the eighteenth century. However, it is perhaps not an exaggeration to believe that the abbot Antonio Marchetti from Brescia, who took over his absentee predecessor in 1756, was the real architect, more than just the person that carried out the work.

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