The villa is part of the rural system of noble structures of agricultural exploitation of the territory, typical of the settlement of Venetian nobility in the Euganean Hills area.
The first architectural structure dates back to the 17th century, built by the Gussoni family, a Venetian patrician family. Passed from property to property it underwent various changes, to be left in total neglect until, at the beginning of the 19th century, it was purchased by Abbot Giuseppe Barbieri who wanted to make it his home, attracted by its ideal beauty for the tranquility and blissful solitude he sought, devoting himself to poetry and oratorical studies.
He was responsible for the careful restoration and the last structural changes made to the building, which have been preserved over time by the Verson family, who bought it after Abbot Barbieri’death, and are still its owners and keepers.
The villa, introduced by an avenue of age-old horse chestnuts accessed through the iron gate, lies on the hill of Mira with sloping terraces, embracing the entirety of the Italian garden punctuated by geometric designs of boxwood hedges.
The lawn that precedes it – the brolo – placed on the highest level and dotted with rose-bushes with the most precious colors and the most intense scents, is accessible through a stone staircase and is supported by a stone wall to the west, which overlooks the valley where vineyards, olive and fruit trees are planted, while all around is a dense coppice forest, which inhibits these crops from the view of passers-by.
The architectural structure
The seventeenth-century architectural structure consists of a central raised body on a balustraded staircase – enhanced to the side by a graceful well – which emphasizes the vertical symmetry of the facade, culminating with the gable and the three underlying blocked panels.
The simple and harmonious horizontal lines are mainly marked by the windows and by two pretty balconies to the east and west of the entrance; the annexed wings of a later period – probably attributable to Barbieri’s intervention – provide a clear understanding of the intended use of the residence.