Brenta Canal Part 4: Villa Foscari (Malcontenta)

The final stop on our day-long journey along the Brenta Canal was at Villa Foscari, the closest to Venice of the three villas on the itinerary. 

Vintage drawing of Villa Foscari

The villa rests in an enchanting spot along the canal – with a private landing spot, wonderful views, large lawns, willow trees, and carefully tended gardens. 

 Villa Foscari is the oldest of the three villas visited on our one day canal cruise.  It was built between 1554 and 1557 with an entirely different architectural and decorative style. Compared to the grand ballrooms and ornate details of Villas Pisani and Widmann  (both built in the 1700’s), the Villa Foscari feels much more serious, more subtle, more lived in, and also a bit more mysterious.

Living room, just off the entry, Villa Foscari. Pretty cozy!

 The villa was designed by Andrea Palladio and is considered one of his masterpieces.   It has many typical features of Palladian design. The front facade is a symmetrical 3 stories with a grand front portico. There are classical details - massive columns, a triangular pediment, and dual external staircases all leading to the piano nobile (top photo).  There are few decorative details on the exterior, also typical of Palladian architecture. The villa could easily be mistaken for an ancient Roman temple. The architecture also takes into consideration the building’s position in the landscape, so the views can be appreciated from both the front and rear of the building. 

Rear facade, Villa Foscari, with an ancient wisteria vine. Less classical in design than the front facade, but still beautiful, this would have served as an entrance for the villa’s staff. It is actually the first glimpse of the villa when walking from the boat dock.

Vintage drawing of the front facade and floor plan of Villa Foscari

 Palladio designed and built Villa Foscari for brothers Nicolò and Alvise Foscari.  The brothers were members of the Venetian upper class and descendants of Francesco Foscari, the longest serving Venetian Doge ( he ruled Venice from 1423 to 1457).  This was an important family and the villa reflects that. The interior of the villa was designed with the brother’s needs in mind - there are two symmetrical apartments, one for each brother, separated by the common space of the impressive entry. 

 Inside, the entry hall is expansive with vaulted ceilings, exquisite frescoes, and sunny windows flanked by perfect reading nooks looking out over the rear of the house.  The other rooms on piano nobile are simply furnished but decorated with wonderful frescoes and details. 

 It is a spectacular yet comfortable and warm home.   If I lived here, I would be hard pressed to ever tear myself away from the reading nook.  A cup of tea, a good book (perhaps one of the ones written by the current owner on the history of the villa), and those views! And then maybe a walk through the gardens.

At the far side of the entry, this windowed reading nook looks out over the landscape.

 The air of mystery surrounding the villa is what gives rise to its other name – The Villa Malcontenta.  The legend (as recounted by our tour guide) is that one of the Foscari brothers married later in life to a very beautiful, vivacious, and young woman.  As his business activities meant long stretches away from Venice, the young wife found ways to amuse herself - parties, balls, and young men!   Her older husband was not pleased and so he banished her from the social whirl of Venice to his estate along the Brenta Canal where she would spend her life away from the temptations of Venice, in relative isolation.  Her nickname, La Malcontenta, means the unhappy one.  Today, the villa itself is often referred to as Villa Malcontenta.  A sad name for such a beautiful home.

One of several gardens on the property.

looking down into one of the gardens from the front portico.

 As was the case for so many of the Brenta Canal villas, the Foscari family was forced to sell the property after the fall of Venice.  The estate fell into ruin in the 1800’s and stood mostly empty until restoration work began towards the end of that century.   Both the villa and the gardens were restored after its purchase in 1926 by a trio of wealthy friends.  After that the estate changed hands several times, always as a private home.  In 1973 it was purchased by Count Antonio Foscari, returning it to the ownership of Foscari family.   Antonio Foscari is both an architect and an expert on Palladian villas, the perfect person (along with his architect wife) to restore and preserve the villa.  The villa remains a private home but is also open to tours.  It was certainly a highlight on our one day cruise along the Brenta Canal.

The villa sits along the Brenta Canal and is surrounded by lawns, gardens, trees and wonderful views.

 After visiting Villa Foscari, we headed off across the lagoon and entered Venice itself.  Wandering a bit though the city we stopped for cicchetti at Cantina Do Spado and then wandered our way back to the train station. After that it was a short train ride back to our base in Padova. A perfect end to a fascinating day. 

Arriving in Venice after cruising the Brenta Canal.

A Brief Introduction to Lyon, France

I first visited Lyon a decade ago.  That visit was much too brief – just a day long stop on a river cruise through southern France.  But I knew without a doubt that I would someday return for a longer visit.  

Lyon is France’s 3rd largest city (Paris and Marseille are numbers 1 and 2) and – though Parisians may argue – France’s gastronomic capital. Lyon is known for its markets, cafes, bakeries, bouchons (we might call them bistros), and restaurants. 

Below: A street market along the banks of the river Saône.

One of many hidden courtyards in Vieux Lyone

The opportunity to return to Lyon came this past May when a friend and I headed to Lyon for 3 days at the start of a longer trip through the south of France.   I had a few goals in mind for this visit –  first, an exploration of the oldest part of the city, Vieux Lyon, with its tiny alleys, secret passageways, hidden courtyards, Renaissance era architecture and fascinating history. 

Next, getting to know the Presqu’ile, the area tucked between the Rhône and Saône rivers.  It’s an elegant neighborhood full of classic Parisian-style buildings, impressive fountains, large public squares, theaters, museums, and several of Lyon’s famous building murals.  It’s also the neighborhood for great shopping, classy hotels, and wonderful food.   

This stunning fountain anchors the Place des Jacobins in the Presqu’ile district of Lyon.

Also on my must-do list was a visit to what has to be one of the world’s finest markets, Les Halles di Lyon Paul Bocuse.  Exploring local markets is something I love to do when traveling. I must have thousands of market photos from cities in Europe and the US.   Each country’s markets have a unique character. They are a great way to gain insight into the local culture and also great places to sit and people watch over a coffee, to pick up supplies for a picnic lunch, or to grab a simple yet tasty meal. Based on Lyon’s reputation as a mecca for good food, I arrived anticipating fresh seafood (oh the moules!), classic quenelles (a type of fish dumpling and a regional specialty), great bread, croissants (of course), and good wine.  Lyon did not disappoint and a visit to Les Halles market was a highlight.!

The Basilica of Notre-Dame as seen from along the Saône River, Lyon

Fourvière Hill is another can’t miss spot in Lyon. It sits high above the city’s historic old town (Vieux Lyon) and is home to the Basilica of Notre-Dame. The mosaic and sculpture filled interior of the church is breathtaking and the views over the city are fantastic from this vantage point.

Lyon is a joy to visit and was a great way to begin a longer trip in France. More details on Lyon in upcoming blog posts.  Stay tuned!

Brenta Canal Part Three: Villa Widmann

 After visiting Villa Pisani, the largest and most grand of the “Brenta Riviera” villas included on a recent day-long trip along the Brenta Canal, we reboarded our burchiello to continue the journey towards the Venetian Lagoon.  After passing through the Dolo and the Mira locks, the next stop was the town of Mira, mid-way between Padua and Venice. There, we paid a visit to an 18th century gem, the Villa Widmann.

 (Above, frescoes at Villa Widmann, artist unknown)

Villa Widmann is much smaller than Villa Pisani, but every bit as glamorous.  The size and style of the home evolved from the early 1700’s when it was built by the Serimann family of Venice to the mid-1700’s when the Widmann family purchased it.  Over time, the villa had a series of owners, a fact reflected in its complete name - the Villa Widmann-Rezzonico Foscari.  Eventually ownership returned to a later generation of Widmanns who owned the villa until 1970.  Today, it belongs to the City of Venice. The villa is open for tours, events, and exhibits. And, fortunately, it was included on our Brenta Canal day cruise.

The villa is sumptuous.  Like the larger villa Pisani, the house wraps around a frescoed ballroom with a large and ornate balcony overhead.  The huge venetian glass chandeliers that light the ballroom are impressive works of art. 

 Heading upstairs, we found elegant bedrooms, sitting rooms, and en-suite bathrooms. 

The upper floor also held the entry to the lofty balcony above the ballroom.  Stepping out onto the balcony provided a wonderful birds-eye view of the frescoes overhead, the chandeliers, and ornately decorated ballroom below. 

Looking down into the ballroom from the balcony above. This is the view the musicians would have had when the entertained the guests.

The barchessa, an outdoor service building which would have housed kitchens, stables, and storage, is a long building behind a series of graceful arches.  Peek inside to see the old carriages and saddles in the stable

  The villa is elaborate and yet somehow the scale is cozy.  It’s easy to imagine a life here - from family dinners to card games to fancy balls.

After a lunch break, we were on our way to the Villa Foscari, the closest to Venice of the three villas visited on this canal cruise and the only one by the architect Andrea Palladio.   More on that in a future post!

The gardens are filled with statues, a large greenhouse, and lots of leafy trees

The Gift of Figs

It’s fig season!   

Black figs at an Italian market

One of my strongest taste memories is of eating a ripe fig, straight from the tree and warm from the Italian sun.  It happened on a trip long before I moved to Italy. I could not tell you exactly where I was or who I was with, but I recall standing in the front yard of private home, speaking with the owner (an American who had moved to Italy), listening to his story and picking figs from his tree. I remember the taste of that fig with longing.  And its taste is interwoven with the beginnings of my dreams of moving to Italy. That was one important fig!

In Italian, a fig is a fico.  Two figs are fichi.  An albero di fichi is a fig tree.  But use these words with caution.  Substituting the wrong vowel at the end changes the meaning entirely and is quite vulgar.  Avoid that at all costs!   You may also hear the word fico used to mean “cool”.    If someone tells you “sei fico” that’s a compliment – you’re cool.

Both black and green figs grow throughout Italy, especially in the south.  There is even a wild fig tree growing beside a bridge over the Serchio river between Lucca and nearby Monte San Quirico.   Pretty tempting to pick one of those beauties.

Green and black figs at a market in Italy

 In Italy, figs are popular in both sweet and savory dishes.  They can be wrapped with prosciutto, added to a salad, baked in a crostata, or made into jam.  Figs and nuts are a popular combination, baked into a sweet roll they make a decadent but tasty prima colazione (breakfast) or dessert.

 In the US, figs are mostly grown in California and parts of the south, though they seem much less popular in the US than in Italy.   I don’t think I had ever tasted a fig before that fresh-from-the-tree one in Italy (Fig Newtons don’t count). Since I most often spend the summer months in New Mexico, where my kids and grandkids live, I usually miss out on much of the Italian fig season. 

 It was a real treat then, and a surprise, when a friend gifted me a mix of black and green figs grown in the small town of Tijeras, in the hills east of Albuquerque. I had no idea that figs grew here. The question became what to do with them.   One of the black ones, large and sweet, found its way into my morning yogurt.   But the others were saved for a late afternoon aperitivo that I was planning to host a few days later.

For the aperitivo, I cut each fig in half and topped it with mild goat cheese (softened at room temperature).  Next, a drizzle of honey.  It looked like it needed just a little something more, so the final touch was a sprinkle of chopped salted pistachios.  It could not have been more simple, yet the combination of flavors was anything but.  The black figs were larger and definitely sweeter than the green. But the green ones, firmer and a bit less sweet, were also delicious.   For a bit of added color, I added some apricots to the plate. The aperitivo was rounded out with a few other tidbits (hummus with carrots, some green olives, and a few salty pretzels).   All went well with a pitcher of Aperol Spritz. 

 My friend Julie, the giver of the gift of figs, made a variation using ricotta flavored with a little Amaretto in place of the goat cheese. She was happy with that combination and I am anxious to try it. And how pretty was her presentation?

I’ll return to Italy in August and fortunately figs will still be in season.  I am looking forward to Italian fichi con formaggio di capra (goat cheese) e pistacchio. 

Sunday Morning at Lucca’s Antiques Market

I am trying to imagine how this old wheel barrow would have been used.

The monthly antiques market in Lucca takes place the weekend of the 3rd Sunday of each month. If planning a visit pay careful attention to the calendar - count Sundays, not Saturdays, else you might miss it!

Strolling through the market, which spills across several large piazzas in town, is a once a month ritual for me. The small size of my apartment in Lucca doesn’t allow me to buy much, but I always have fun looking.

Some vendors show up every month with similar wares - glass demijohns, old cameras, silver serving wear, chandeliers, glassware, tea cups, old brass, vintage clothing. But I often find either something new and different or a particularly eye catching object. That’s what keeps the market interesting month after month !

Blue skies and mild temperatures enhance the experience of a market stroll.

At the June market, I was really taken by this vintage brass espresso machine. If only I had room for it in my tiny kitchen.

And this - is it a small Grappa press ? I imagine a home grape producer using it to press his leftover grape skins to make some excellent small batch grappa. A perfect hobby for a grape growing Nonno.

I’ve seen several metal chickens and other animal sculptures over the years, but this is the first cockatoo I have found. At least cockatoo is my best guess for this yellow plumed bird.

I would love to know his story.

The assortment of intriguing objects, and the artful way they are displayed, brings out my camera every time. These are just a few of the interesting finds from the June market.

As an added bonus last month, a brass band, complete with pompom girls, marched straight through the market. They stopped in front of Lucca’s Duomo to entertain a crowd of market goers. Just a little extra fun on market day !