On July 24th a special party took place in La Villa, a party without a reason, except the wish to celebrate with friends and family after more than a year of being ‘Stay Homa’s’. All of the organizers – Steffi, Uwe and Mathias – want to say thank you to the ever growing group of people flocking towards the villa in the days before the party, joining us in the last available corners in the villa and then setting up tents, camper vans or just slept in their car.
100 days after that magic Saturday in Italy we want to share some of the images to revive the memories of meeting old and new friends, getting dressed up in evening gowns or just speedos in some cases, enjoying the food served by our ‘ciao bello’ Italian waiters, and of course the wine, the booze and the Swiss firekworks. Enjoy with us!
Phileas and Mathias compressed the huge public play list that was filled up by all of you in the villa into some top hits. So, go ahead, relive La Rocca in music and dance!
Villa Pisani called La Rocca or La Rocca Pisana is a villa in the town of Lonigo in the Vicenza province built by Vincenzo Scamozzi. In 1576 Vettor Pisani, of the powerful Venetian family, who already held vast agriculture properties in Lonigo, chose a forest-covered hill which dominated the town to construct a villa, destined not as a representative residence, but as a “pastime in healthier air”, far from the heat and the mosquitoes of the plain below. Scamozzi was an architect from Vicenza and student of Andrea Palladio. He built the villa on the remains of one of the more ancient fortresses, called Rocca.
The villa can be seen from a great distance and is characterized by a square structure surmounted by an octagonal cupola. The main facade has a Roman staircase that leads to a neo-classic pronao (portico) with six ionic columns, joined by a cogged tympanum at the apex of which rises the cupola. An opening in the top of the cupola illuminates the high, central room of the building. Corresponding to the opening of the cupola there is a marble grill in the floor that gathers the rain water. The view from the villa is magnificent and on clear days spreads to as far as the Alps. Its restoration was charged by the Contessa Rosetta de Lazara Pisani in the 1950s.
How to get there by plane: Within a circle of 100kms there are a couple of airports serviced by budget airlines. Look at the lowcostairlines portal for affordable options.
By car: The villa is nearby Highway A4 (Milano-Venezia). You have to pay toll, which is worth doing for the time saved. Rental portals are eg. autoeurope or easy terra.
By train: There is a train station in Lonigo and public transport is available.
Where to stay? There are many hotels, bed and breakfasts, villas and others in the area. Portal booking offers more than 20 accommodations in Lonigo, including houses and hotels with pools. A couple of kms from Lonigo is another villa and a large farmhouse to stay. There are many accommodations in all price ranges in Verona, Vincenza and the other charming cities nearby. AirBnB offers more than 300 private rooms and apartments to stay within the area with an average prize of 85 euros per night for e.g. the last weekend of July. Fancy a stay in a room on a farm or rent an entire farm? There are more than 422 farmhouses offered at the agriturismo site for the Veneto province alone. To find the perfect campsite in Veneto province check out Camping, Eurocamping, Coolcamping and many others. Try also for the other provinces close by such as Lombardy.
The village Lonigo is down the hill, you can walk. There are supermarkets, pharmacies, bakeries and butchers. Larger stores can be reached by car in half an hour. In Italy July is normally very hot. That makes the villa an ideal place to relax and enjoy pleasant temperatures with a fresh breeze on the hilltop.
The beaches of Lake Garda are approx. 1 hour drive, as is Venice. The shores of the Adria (Chioggia, Jesolo) are 1 hour 30 minutes by car. At the villa is space to up an inflatible pool. The closest public pool is in Lonigo, a couple of minutes by car. It is located in Via Filippo Turati 7. Adults approx. 10 euro, children under 12 years half price.