Description of the attraction
Villa Spada is a luxurious building of the mid-18th century, the creation of the architect Giovanni Battista Martinetti, who executed the order of Jacopo Zambekkari, who owned the villa until 1811. In 1820, it was acquired by the Marquis of Beaufort, wife of the Roman prince Clement Spada Veralli, who completed the design of the estate and the garden that surrounded it. By the way, the author of the Italian-style garden project was also Giovanni Martinetti. The Marquis added to the villa a part of a vast park, visible from Via Zaragossa. Later, the Villa Spada was bought by the famous tenor Antonio Poggi, and in 1849 the headquarters of the Austrian troops was located here. In the second half of the 19th century, even a Turkish sultan lived in the villa. From 1920 until the end of the Second World War, it was the property of the Pisa family, whose members carried out various restoration work here and made architectural changes - for example, it was in those years that the entrance to Via Zaragossa was made. Finally, in the 60s of the 20th century, the villa was acquired by the City Council of Bologna, who made it public.
Today, Villa Spada, named after one of its former owners, is surrounded by a 6 hectare park, of which the aforementioned Italian garden is part. Inside there is a historical museum, which contains about 6 thousand copies of fabric! This unique museum of its kind is considered one of the most beautiful in Europe. Some of its exhibits are very rare and expensive, such as the brocade that covered Christian icons in the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, and 50 Bologna standards.
The park itself, planted with Mediterranean evergreen trees - oaks, cypresses, rhododendrons, pines - is a favorite vacation spot for city residents and tourists. The park has playgrounds for children, viewing platforms overlooking Bologna, and picnic areas. In addition to traditional European plants, you can also see exotic flowers and shrubs here. At the entrance to the park, there is a strange-looking structure - a crypt dating from the 18th century. It contains no human remains as it is designed for … dogs. Another interesting attraction in the park is a group of sculptures dedicated to the 128 women of Bologna who died in the fight against the fascist regime of Mussolini.
