VILLA GODI, PIOVENE PORTO GODI
Progetto
Restoration of Villa Godi, Piovene Porto Godi
Luogo
Grumolo delle Abbadesse (VI)
Date
2019 – in progress
Cliente
Private
Superficie
4,765 square meters + 25,000 square meters of park
Already before the 1500s, on the site of the present Villa Godi, Piovene Porto Godi, there was a manor house of the Godi family. On this building the present Villa Piovene was built in 1597, based on the design of architect Vincenzo Scamozzi.
The architectural simplicity that dominates the building does not detract from the majesty of the property. The complex stretches across open countryside, bordered to the southwest by a moat. A small bridge leads to the monumental entrance, beyond which, one enters the large garden. The two-story main villa is a large building to which other buildings are connected. Set back are the two side wings and the large “L-shaped” barchessa that develops to the northwest. The front facing the garden is strongly marked by a very long continuous portico with arches and pillars. At the south end of the garden is the aristocratic chapel, “la Favallina,” dating from the second half of the 17th century and otherwise attributed to Carlo Borella (Cevese 1971) and Antonio Pizzoccaro. Other buildings served the various organizational functions of the farm: warehouses, rural dwellings, a small building used as a mill, a dovecote. Finally, a vast park of 25,000 square meters with ancient trees contributes to the definition of this interesting artistic complex, giving it great charm. Today the villa is used as a residence by the owners and in part for initiatives that are open to the public. Over the years it has always undergone continuous maintenance that has focused on the main structure of the Villa, the interiors of the adjoining structure and the barchessa to the south, the chapel and the rustic building called Pila. The barchesse on the north side and the mill have not been restored and are currently in need of major restoration..
Following the collapse of a portion of the roof, the owner felt the need to develop a project plan for the barchessa that, along with the necessary conservation work, would also include some enhancements to restore functionality to the complex. The owner was fully aware that the full use of the property is a guarantee of its preservation. This plan included the consolidation and rehabilitation of the entire roof of the barchessa to the maintenance of the outdoor spaces that have always been of special importance for this monumental complex (from the ditches to the fishpond, the park, the villa garden and the large tree-lined avenues), to the management of the complex with improved functionality of some spaces (for residents, visitors, special events, etc.). These adjustments consist mainly of the construction of a new connecting staircase between the ground floor and the first floor and the rebuilding of the attic of the kitchen that was damaged by a fire and never restored considering that the upper floor was not used. The staircase, because of its articulation in six flights and the desirability for it to be light and self-supporting will be made of folded sheet metal with a small mezzanine that has the function on the one hand to constitute a break during the ascent, and on the other hand to maintain the proportion of the rooms and better develop the structure in support. All systems will be routed through the counter walls, gaps in the new partitions and false ceilings without the need to disturb the masonry. The pivotal principle of the planned works is to act within an overall framework that allows for the best definition of priorities and optimization of economic resources, to try to maintain the balance, which is increasingly precarious, on which the preservation of these monumental complexes rests.
The restoration of the roofing of the barchessa “M” will be carried out with PNRR M1C3 – INTERVENTION 2.2 – PROTECTION AND VALORIZATION OF ARCHITECTURE AND RURAL LANDSCAPE funds, returning to private and also public enjoyment a portion of the barchesse, which, when restored, can be included in proposed itineraries for visiting the Venetian Villas, a historical-monumental heritage that in the Veneto is strongly anchored to the economy, culture and rural environment, and the Villas of Andrea Palladio UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Godi Mill, whose existence is documented since 1688, remained operational until the last decades of the last century. The tall Mill dominates the agricultural square composed of a rustic annex and buildings built in different periods, each with different peculiarities but typical of the rural Veneto environment. Following the cessation of its function as a factory, the Mill complex remained abandoned and only partly used as a warehouse, which inevitably led to its advancing state of decay.
An extensive maintenance plan aspires to restore functionality to the complex, providing for the preservation of the monumental aspect, the maintenance of outdoor spaces, the management of the complex with functional adaptation, and the conversion of spaces for residential use with the construction of three independent housing units. The organization of spaces involves a box system that leaves the overall volume of the structure visible as much as possible while preserving the perception of a unified space and the complete view of the roof. At the large openings of the barn, new infill elements made of wooden battens, recalling the constructive wooden structure of the complex, partly conceal the newly inserted load-bearing structure, but at the same time harmoniously match the large pillars marking the bays. The same detail is echoed in the configuration of the new openings on the facade along the canal. On the ground floor, a new wooden floor complements the central hall in reclaimed terracotta elements. Finally, the restoration of the mechanism of the Mill – from the gears of the external wheel to the millstone for the grain to the flour sieve – becomes the identifying element, signaling it and preserving its memory with a clear nod to its past function.