Description of the attraction
The Francescatti villa and garden are located in the northern part of Verona, at the foot of the San Pietro hill. The luxurious villa was built in the 16th century - initially the building was closed from prying eyes by dense thickets of trees. The tympanum of the façade - the inner field of the pediment - was decorated with battlements in the style of Venetian villas of the 15th century.
Throughout its history, the villa and the surrounding garden changed owners several times, until finally it became the property of the Francescatti family. The building was repeatedly rebuilt and reconstructed, but the garden has come down to us in an almost unchanged form. After the death of the last representatives of the Francescatti family, the villa remained abandoned for a long time and gradually fell into disrepair - part of the roof and doors sagged, the windows were knocked out, the garden began to overgrow with grass. Only in 1978, the building was restored thanks to the financial assistance of the People's Bank of Verona. Today it houses an inexpensive hotel for young people - a hostel.
The garden surrounding Villa Francescatti, along with the famous Giusti Garden, is considered one of the most beautiful in Verona. On an area of 5 thousand sq. M. you can see a wide variety of plants, mostly tall-stemmed. In general, the Francescatti Garden, located on several terraces near the Roman Theater, is a typical Italian garden with numerous greenhouses with rare plants. Interestingly, these terraces were created in the era of Ancient Rome - around the 1st century AD. during the construction of the ancient amphitheater that has survived to this day.
