AMERICAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY SYSTEM. Charles Town, West Virginia. Villa Arnaldi (Meledo di Sarego, Vicenza, Italy) Submitted By

Transcription

1 AMERICAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY SYSTEM Charles Town, West Virginia Villa Arnaldi (Meledo di Sarego, Vicenza, Italy) Submitted By Manuela Bernardotto-Ethridge HIST634 C001 Spring 15 Submitted to the Department of History and Military Studies 20 September 2015

2 1 Villa Arnaldi (Meledo di Sarego, Vicenza) Around the mid sixteenth century, Vincenzo Arnaldi, a wealthy and extremely influential Venetian aristocrat, hired the widely renowned Italian Renaissance master Andrea Palladio to restore a fifteenth-century agricultural complex. The restoration was motivated by practical reasons as Arnaldi intended to increase the value of the complex in view of an impending legal action against one of the villa s former owners. However, as in 1565 Arnaldi settled the legal dispute, he abandoned the restoration project which was subsequently never completed. A series of original sketches demonstrates how Palladio attempted to rationalize the entire complex and to correct the highly irregular nature of the mansion by achieving a symmetrical disposition of the rooms which he planned to arrange around a three-arch loggia with smaller side openings. Nowadays, although the mansion building is inadequately preserved, it still features sixteenth-century architectural and decorative elements that increase its historic significance. The present project proposes to rehabilitate Villa Arnaldi and to transform what is currently a private residence and agricultural complex into a thriving commercial business and tourist destination.

3 2 Description Villa Arnaldi is located on the Berici Hills, along the road that leads to the small town of Meledo di Sarego, about 12 miles away from Vicenza (Italy). Far from being one of Palladio s grandiose works, Villa Arnaldi is a modest, yet significant, complex which curiously depicts the process of transformation of a preexisting structure into a new and more elaborate building. Although it is not included in the Four Books of Architecture, the structure represents Palladio s attempt to apply his novel concept of country house to a rather modest rural dwelling. In fact, Palladio s rural architectural style did not promote the country house as the residence of a feudal lord, but rather as a the residence of a gentleman who was committed to the fruitful exploitation of his possessions and who appreciated the health benefits of living in the countryside. 1 In addition, it is noteworthy to observe that Palladian villas were generally not designed to impress important guests or influential neighbors but rather to serve as efficient, and yet elegant, agricultural complexes. Palladian villas thus generally stood out because of their peculiar design and not for their considerable dimensions, for the elegant gardens and grounds or for the expensive construction materials. 2 Furthermore, Palladio reformed all the traditional elements that characterized Venetian agricultural complexes with the purpose of making them monumental. While he achieved such monumentality by introducing scenographic aspects, symmetries, shape hierarchies and decorative apparatuses, he managed to design affordable buildings thanks to the utilization of brick columns and the minimal use of dressed stone. 3 Villa Arnaldi is particularly significant because it clearly illustrates the concrete challenges that Palladio had to face when he committed to the transformation of a modest edifice 1 Howard Burns and Ilaria Abbondandolo, La villa italiana del Rinascimento: forme e funzioni delle residenze di campagna, dal castello alla villa palladiana (Costabissara: Angelo Colla Editore, 2012), Ibid., Ibid., 68.

4 3 into a suitable country house. As Williams observes, in its incomplete state, Villa Arnaldi provides an opportunity to see the kind of existing structures Palladio had to deal with, and gives insight into the process by which he was able to take a nondescript masonry structure and turn it into a villa. 4 The villa is named after the counts Arnaldi, a family that belonged to the ancient nobility of the city of Vicenza and that also became Venetian Patricians in While the Arnaldi family had several possessions in Meledo, it is certain that at least by the mid sixteenth century the Arnaldi family owned a vast estate in Meledo Alto. 5 The estate, which remained property of the Arnaldi family until 1810 (or 1839), included the unfinished mansion, the little church dedicated to Saint Nicolo`, and two barchesse. The villa was subsequently purchased by the Marsilio family and by the Giorio family (around 1860). 6 Presently, the complex is still privately owned by the Giorio family and, in recent times, it has been subdivided into two separate properties. Although the mansion and the barchesse were never completely renovated according to Palladio s plans, the available documentary evidence reveals significant details about the architect s commission and effective contribution to the project. A thorough analysis of the archival material has prompted Giovanni Zaupa to suggest that Vincenzo Arnaldi possibly met and befriended Palladio many years before he hired the architect to renovate his farmhouse. According to Zaupa, Arnaldi had established professional contacts with the stonecutters shop owned by Girolamo Pittoni e Giovanni da Porlezza, also called Pedemuro, since the late 1520s. These professional contacts are significant because, at that time, Palladio was working at the 4 Williams, Alberto Lembo, ed., Sarego: Storia e Vita di un Paese (Vicenza: Associazione Pro Sarego, 1987), 52. See also Donata Battilotti, Maurizio Gasparin, Antonio Pra, and Sergio Pratali Maffei, Ville venete. La Provincia di Vicenza (Venezia: Istituto regionale per le ville venete, 2005), Renato Cevese, Ville della Provincia di Vicenza (Milano: Rusconi, 1971), 476.

5 4 shop as an apprentice and may have thus had the chance to meet Arnaldi. In addition, Zaupa hypothesizes that Arnaldi first planned to commission Palladio for the renovation of one of his properties as early as 1536 when, in consequence of his marriage with the influential noblewoman Bartolomea dalle Corna, he planned to upgrade the main building with the purpose of transforming it into a suitable mansion. 7 However, most researchers believe that Arnaldi purchased the fifteenth-century estate from the Cavalcabò family around 1547, right before he hired Palladio. 8 What is certain is that, in 1547, Arnaldi annotated in his ledger that he intended to renovate the mansion s loggia and to decorate it with faux marble motifs and frescoed landscapes, to widen the courtyard, and to connect the small church dedicated to San Nicolò to the main building of the complex. As the church occupied the north-western corner of the courtyard, its inclusion in the mansion structure would have formed a continuous façade towards the main road which, nowadays, still surrounds the estate on the northern side (Figure 5). 9 Incidentally, the annotations in Arnaldi s ledger are also significant because they shed light on the relationship between Palladio and his customers, and on the architect s ability to find a compromise between the aesthetic quality of his plans and the pragmatic needs of farmhouses. 10 As one of Palladio s sketches representing the villa also features Arnaldi s own personal annotations, it is reasonable to assume that the drawing was sketched during a conversation between employer and architect Giovanni Zaupa, Andrea Palladio e la sua committenza. Denaro e architettura nella Vicenza del Cinquecento (Roma: Gangemi, 1990), Battilotti, Gasparin, Pra, and Pratali Maffei, Ville venete, Donata Battilotti, Le Ville di Palladio (Milano: Electa, 1990), Guido Beltramini and Howard Burns, eds., Palladio (Venezia: Marsilio, 2008), Ibid.

6 5 In any case, it is almost certain that the restoration was motivated by practical reasons as Arnaldi intended to increase the value of the building in view of an impending legal action against the Cavalcabò family. 12 After being hired, Palladio sent a letter to Arnaldi enclosing a sketch with a possible plan for the renovation of the loggia. The architect planned to rationalize the entire complex by distributing the buildings on three of the four sides of the courtyard. While the mansion would still occupy the northern side of the courtyard, the existing gothic barchessa on the western side would have been counterbalanced by a symmetric structure on the opposite side (Figure 1). Although Palladio initially proposed the construction of a four-column and five-arches loggia, the plan was subsequently reduced to a more economical and conservative solution consisting of a smaller loggia with three arches flanked by rectangular openings on either hand forming a sort of elongated serliana. 13 Furthermore, Williams observes that the placement of the loggia on the far end of the body of the house indicates that Palladio planned to build another wing to accommodate his three-part façade and plan. 14 (Figures 2 and 3) According to Donata Battilotti, around 1550, the renovation process was well under way so it is reasonable to assume that Palladio s plan was at least partially executed. Although the façade is rather degraded, the silhouette of the three arches and the flat moldings serving as upper lintels for the rectangular openings are still visible to this day (Figure 6). Furthermore, the three evenly-spaced sixteenth century windows that adorn the façade have also been attributed to the Palladian plan (Figure 7) Alessandra Verlato, Villa Arnaldi a Meledo Alto: Rilievo e Raffronto con i disegni di Andrea Palladio ed Enea Arnaldi Conservati alla Biblioteca Bertoliana di Vicenza, (Thesis, Università IUAV di Venezia, 1997), Kim Williams, Giovanni Giaconi, and Andrea Palladio, The Villas of Palladio (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2003), Ibid. 15 Battilotti, Le Ville del Palladio, 55.

7 6 Nevertheless, by the beginning of 1556 the restoration works had been halted. Although in 1565 Arnaldi received Palladio s drawings for the ceilings of the two rooms located behind the loggia, the restoration works were probably never resumed as the owner had evidently settled the legal dispute with Cavalcabò s descendants. 16 The sketches demonstrate that Palladio had planned vaulted ceilings for both rooms and that the ceilings should have been decorated by two lunettes on each corner and by a large central fresco. 17 Although the available documentary evidence suggests that, as late as 1575, right before Arnaldi s death, construction material was still piled up in the external courtyard, Palladio s plans were never completely executed. The loggia and the barchesse were never finished, and the aforementioned rooms wooden ceilings reveal that the planned vaulted ceilings were never completed. 18 It is thus possible that Arnaldi simply abandoned the restoration project. The actual state of the buildings demonstrates that, over the centuries, the original structures were restored and adapted rather haphazardly and without complying with any comprehensive plan. Even though the mansion has been severely compromised over the course of time, it is still possible to admire fragments of frescoes, a painted wooden ceiling and two fireplaces dating to the second half of the sixteenth century. The western gothic barchessa (Figures 8 and 9) has been repeatedly restored over the centuries and it presently features five arches with ashlar extrados and thick square pillars. The eastern barchessa, along with the dovecote tower, were built in 1740 according to the plan designed by the amateur architect, and owner of the estate, Enea Arnaldi (Figures 10 and 11). The barchessa features five arches with ashlar pillars and extrados, and two niches that probably housed decorative statues. The corners of the buildings and the cornices surrounding the niches 16 Battilotti, Gasparin, Pra, and Pratali Maffei, Ville venete, Battilotti, Le Ville del Palladio, Ibid. See also Zaupa, 54.

8 7 also present decorative ashlar work (Figure 12). The dovecote tower features an elegant arched door which gives access to the poorly preserved barchessa staircase. 19 As two of the arches are hidden by modern additions, and a third arch has been filled in, the overall effect of the rural building is considerably compromised. In the northeastern corner of the complex one can still notice the existing remnants of an old secondary entrance to the villa (Figures 13 and 14). Unfortunately, more recent and ill-devised renovations have further degraded the complex. The little church has been transformed into dwelling and connected to the main building through two small, recent structures. The loggia of the mansion has been filled in and the internal spaces have been somewhat arbitrarily subdivided to create smaller rooms. 20 The elegant sixteenth-century gate that was located in the northwestern corner of the estate and that featured Venetian coat of arms, along with the little dirt embankment that flanked the gate on the left side, have been substituted by a nondescript gate, and by a horrendous concrete wall (Figure 5). 21 The villa has been the object of several studies and has already been surveyed and mapped. The available photographic material and maps are preserved at the Centro Internazionale Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio and the Biblioteca Civica Bertoliana which are located in Vicenza Cevese, Ville della Provincia di Vicenza, Battilotti, Gasparin, Pra, and Pratali Maffei, Ville venete, Alberto Lembo ed., Sarego: Storia e Vita di un Paese (Vicenza: Associazione Pro Sarego, 1987), 53. See also Cevese, Ville della Provincia di Vicenza, 476 and Battilotti, Gasparin, Pra, and Pratali Maffei, Ville venete, Villa Arnaldi, Sarego (VI), Mediateca Palladio Museum, accessed June 12, 2015,

9 8 Impact Despite its precarious preservation state, Villa Arnaldi presents extremely noteworthy features. The villa is only 5 miles from a major highway and is fairly close to the city of Vicenza. From the main entrance, visitors can enjoy an amazing view of the surrounding valley and the Pre Alps, while the courtyard overlooks lush vineyards. Although the complex is somewhat irregular, the structures are large and spacious and could possibly be adapted and transformed into an agriturismo, or agritourism business. According to specific legislation that was issued in 2006, the Italian Republic supports agritouristic activities with the following chief purposes: To protect and enhance the specific resources of each territory; To support agricultural activities and protect the environment; To preserve the historic rural heritage and historic buildings; To stimulate an appreciation of local products and the related enogastronomic traditions. 23 The transformation of the complex into an agriturismo could provide the present owners with additional income and sustain agriculture in the community. In particular, as the Italian legislation mandates that agriturismo s owners only sell the produce and products that they directly cultivate or transform, agritouristic activities can not only complement other farm revenue sources, but also contribute to the economic revitalization of the town, and constitute an effective way to advertise locally grown products. Agritouristic businesses generally give national and international visitors the possibility to enjoy all the benefits of a farm stay. Room rates are generally very affordable and the rural 23 Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri, LEGGE 20 febbraio 2006, n. 96, Disciplina dell Agriturismo, accessed September 5, 2015,

10 9 environment often provides visitors with the opportunity to enjoy a tranquil and relaxing vacation. Nevertheless, considering that Villa Arnaldi is close to major highways, visitors could easily reach the Venetian cities that have been included in the UNESCO Heritage List (Vicenza, Venice, Verona, and Padua) and the numerous Palladian villas that embellish the Venetian countryside. Visitors would also have the possibility to explore some of the numerous didactic, biking and enogastronomic itineraries that are actively sponsored by the local associations of volunteers who are committed to the promotion of local heritage and traditional products. 24 The restoration of the fifteenth-century complex would also help the owners publicize the historic significance of their property. As Villa Arnaldi is considered one of Palladio s minor and incomplete works, it is often overlooked both in the Palladian itineraries and in many of the specialized art history books. Unfortunately, the complex s poor state of preservation further diminishes its appeal and its perceived importance for art history amateurs and tourists in general. If restored, Villa Arnaldi, could likely attract a considerable number of visitors that would thus have the possibility to learn about Palladio and about his unparalleled ability to rationalize and enhance irregular buildings and structures dating to the late Middle Ages. The rehabilitation of the complex might, however, be partially hindered by two main reasons. On the one hand, as in recent times the complex was subdivided into two properties, the current owners, although related, may not agree on the considerable financial investment that the rehabilitation project would entail, or on the possibility to expand the present farming business to transform the complex into a lively tourist destination and a commercial establishment. On the other hand, the rehabilitation of the complex may be subjected to the numerous restrictions that generally affect historic buildings. In particular, the Soprintendenza per i Beni 24 Consorzio Pro Loco Colli Berici Basso Vicentino, Berici Hills, accessed September 19,

11 10 Archittettonici e Paesaggistici 25 (a government department responsible for the safeguard of monuments, landscapes and other historic structures), would likely play a substantial role in the rehabilitation project in order to protect all the elements of the complex that are deemed historically significant and that must be preserved. As a consequence, because of the constraints imposed by the current regulations, spaces may not be easily adaptable to the needs of a commercial business. Budget As, over the centuries, the complex was expanded and renovated numerous times, the rehabilitation project would entail the following types of intervention: the preservation and/or restoration of all the historically significant architectural and artistic features; the demolition of the concrete or masonry architectural elements that are in stark contrast with the historical character of the original fifteenth-century buildings and the subsequent historically significant additions/renovations; and the partial adaptation of the planimetric layout with the purpose of making the complex suitable for its envisaged commercial purpose. Preservation and/or Restoration of the historically significant architectural and artistic elements; Partial adaptation of the planimetric layout; Construction of external parking area. Estimated surface area that needs to be restored: 1,000 square meter. Estimated restoration and/or preservation costs: $1,200/square meter Estimated construction costs (parking area for about 20 cars and 2 tourist buses): $30,000 Total Preservation, Restoration, and Construction costs: $1,230, Ministero dei Beni e delle Atttività Culturali e del Turismo, Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici e Paesaggistici per le Province di Verona, Rovigo e Vicenza, accessed September 13, 2015,

12 11 Demolition of and disposal costs $25,000 Updating of heating, plumbing, and electrical systems $200,000 Adaptation of the existing structures with the purpose of making them handicap accessible $40,000 Architectural and engineering fees; Legal fees; Permits (Local Government Permits, Regional Permits, and Permits released by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici e Paesaggistici) In Italy, these costs generally amount to about 10 percent of the total rehabilitation cost. $120,000 Start-up costs to include the purchase of all the necessary equipment and furniture for the agriturismo $100,000 Administrative costs (Office costs and Advertising) $10,000 Total Project Cost: $1,725,000 Potential Partners and Funding Sources As Villa Arnaldi is privately owned and the rehabilitation would entail the transformation of the complex into a commercial business, it is likely that the owners would have to bear the upfront costs involved in the project. However, once the restoration and rehabilitation works were completed, the incurred costs could be partially covered by the Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo (Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism). In particular, Article 35 of the

13 12 Codice dei Beni Culturali e del Paesaggio (the Italian legislation that regulates cultural heritage and landscapes) states that the Ministry can cover up to 50 percent of the expenses incurred by owners of historic structures that have been restored and/or preserved. 26 In addition, the Italian Revenue Agency offers a number of financial incentives and tax deductions to all owners who complete restoration, preservation and rehabilitation works on their properties. 26 Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Paesaggio, Codice dei Beni Culturali e del Paesaggio, D.LGS. 22 Gennaio 2004, N. 42, accessed September 13, 2015,

14 13 Fig. 1 Palladio, Sketch of Villa Arnaldi, Biblioteca Civica Bertoliana, Vicenza Fig. 2 Alessandra Verlato, Study of Villa Arnaldi CISA A. Palladio Fig. 3 Alessandra Verlato, Study of the floor plan of Villa Arnaldi CISA A. Palladio

15 14 Fig.4 Alessandra Verlato, Current Floor Plan, Villa Arnaldi CISA A. Palladio Fig. 5 Western Entrance and Little Church Photo by: Manuela Bernardotto- Ethridge Fig. 6 Mansion Photo by: Manuela Bernardotto- Ethridge

16 15 Fig. 7 Mansion Sixteenth Century Window Photo by: Manuela Bernardotto- Ethridge Fig. 8 Northwestern corner of the mansion with the little church and the two recent additions. Western barchessa. Photo by: Manuela Bernardotto- Ethridge Fig. 9 Western barchessa Photo by: Manuela Bernardotto- Ethridge

17 16 Fig. 10 Eastern Barchessa Photo by: Manuela Bernardotto- Ethridge Fig. 11 Eastern Barchessa Photo by: Manuela Bernardotto- Ethridge Fig. 12 Eastern Barchessa Niche Photo by: Manuela Bernardotto- Ethridge

18 17 Fig. 13 Old Secondary Entrance Photo by: Manuela Bernardotto- Ethridge Fig. 14 Old Secondary Entrance Photo by: Manuela Bernardotto- Ethridge

19 18 Bibliography Arnaldi, Girolamo and Franco Barbieri. Storia di Vicenza. L età della Repubblica Veneta, Vol.2. Vicenza: Neri Pozza, Battilotti, Donata. Le Ville di Palladio. Milano: Electa, Battilotti, Donata, Maurizio Gasparin, Antonio Pra, and Sergio Pratali Maffei. Ville venete. La Provincia di Vicenza. Venezia: Istituto regionale per le ville venete, Beltramini, Guido and Howard Burns, eds. Palladio. Venezia: Marsilio, Burns, Howard, Andrea Palladio, Lynda Fairbairn, and Bruce Boucher. Andrea Palladio, : the portico and the farmyard: catalogue. London: Arts Council of Great Britain, Burns, Howard, and Ilaria Abbondandolo. La villa italiana del Rinascimento: forme e funzioni delle residenze di campagna, dal castello alla villa palladiana. Costabissara: Angelo Colla Editore, Burns, Howard. Le Opere Minori del Palladio, Bollettino del Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio (1979), Cevese, Renato. Ville della Provincia di Vicenza. Milano: Rusconi, Consorzio Pro Loco Colli Berici Basso Vicentino. Berici Hills. Accessed September 10, Franzina, Antonio, and Andrea Palladio. Andrea Palladio: le ville. Milano: Touring Club Italiano, Lewis, Douglas, and Andrea Palladio. The Drawings of Andrea Palladio. New Orleans: Martin & St. Martin, Lembo, Alberto, ed. Sarego: Storia e Vita di un Paese. Vicenza: Associazione Pro Sarego, Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Paesaggio. Codice dei Beni Culturali e del Paesaggio. D.LGS. 22 Gennaio 2004, N. 42. Accessed September 13, Ministero dei Beni e delle Atttività Culturali e del Turismo. Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici e Paesaggistici per le Province di Verona, Rovigo e Vicenza. Accessed September 13,

20 19 Placzek, Adolf K. Andrea Palladio: The Four Books of Architecture. New York: Dover Publications, Palladio, Andrea. Sketches of Villa Arnaldi Biblioteca Civica Bertoliana, Vicenza. Pomello, Arturo. Storia di Lonigo. Lonigo, Vicenza: Gaspari, Puppi, Lionello, Andrea Palladio, and Donata Battilotti. Andrea Palladio. Milano: Electa, Puppi, Lionello. Dubbi e Certezze per Palladio Costruttore in Villa. Arte Veneta 28 (1974), Villa Arnaldi, Sarego (VI). Mediateca Palladio Museum. Accessed June 12, Verlato, Alessandra. Villa Arnaldi a Meledo Alto: Rilievo e Raffronto con i disegni di Andrea Palladio ed Enea Arnaldi Conservati alla Biblioteca Bertoliana di Vicenza. (Thesis, Università IUAV di Venezia, 1997). Verlato Alessandra. Study of Villa Arnaldi. Indian Ink on Trace Paper Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio, Vicenza. Williams, Kim, Giovanni Giaconi, and Andrea Palladio. The Villas of Palladio. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, Zaupa, Giovanni. Andrea Palladio e la sua committenza. Denaro e architettura nella Vicenza del Cinquecento. Roma: Gangemi, Zorzi, Giangiorgio. Le Ville e i Teatri di Andrea Palladio. Vicenza: Neri Pozza, 1969