Villa Piovene da Schio in Castelgomberto
Project
Restoration of monumental complex
Location
Castelgomberto (VI)
Project year
2010 – in progress
Client
Private
Surface
5745 mq + 89000 mq of park
Villa Piovene da Schio, whose monumental complex dates from the seventeenth century, stands in the foothill area of Castelgomberto, north of Vicenza. The works began in 1656 from a design by Antonio Pizzocaro for the Piovene family, which arranged the buildings on the basis of alternating large open spaces: a ‘rustic courtyard’, a ‘landlord’s courtyard, a ‘piaceta’ and a garden for work and leisure. The complex extends from north to south and includes the sumptuous main residence, the stalls, the stores for animal feed and a wine cellar. The linking of cultivated life and farming activities, typical of the Veneto villas of the time, is ensured by the big park that enfolds the complex and leads it towards the surrounding countryside. It contains a large fish pond that acts as a tank for the irrigation of the fields and important decorative works, in particular the statues in the Italian garden, beside the fish pond and in the belvederes, the work of the school of Orazio Marinali.
A wide-ranging maintenance plan covered the entire monumental complex, providing for protection of the buildings, conservation of the monumental aspect, maintenance of the external areas and overall management, to be conducted in functional stages according to urgency and needs.
WORKS 2010-2013
The roof was repaired and a sheath and insulating mat laid, allowing the reuse of the attic spaces to be planned in future. Conservation works were carried out at this stage on the plaster and the stone-masonry decorations on the facades, with pre-strengthening of the parts detached from the masonry support, cleaning of all the surfaces and sealing of the surface damage. A final lime-based rendering on the surfaces allowed the unity of the individual facades to be read, leaving the original plaster visible.
The statues on the pediment of the south facade and the minor ones facing west – attributed to the Albanese workshop – were washed with sprayed water and brushed, and the missing sections and cracks then repaired with mixtures of stone dust bound with natural lime. An acrylic-silicon based protective that combines strengthening action with waterproofing characteristics able to protect the stone for some years from aggression by pollutants was finally applied by brush.
The previously lacking subsidiary services were installed in the landlord’s courtyard with a view to a future but already planned management of the complex, with the necessary functional adaptations. In particular, some maintenance works were carried out inside relating to the adaptation of the toilet facilities for the numerous visitors who come to admire the villa, and designed in particular to overcome architectural barriers.