Amazing Italy: Visiting Villa Badoèr with Maria Cristina Buoso - by Maria Teresa De Donato

 Amazing Italy:

 

Visiting Villa  Badoèr with Maria Cristina Buoso

 

by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Dear friends, today we continue to travel in our Amazing Italy with our friend and colleague Maria Cristina, Author and Blogger. Maria Cristina participated very actively, together with other colleagues and friends, in this Column of mine, and I invite you all to read the other articles to be inspired by the various locations that have been presented as well as by the highly appreciated recipes that you can enjoy by visiting especially her territory. She recently started introducing us to the Venetian Villas, some of which were designed and built by the famous architect Andrea Palladio.

Today, we will be considering one in particular: Villa Badoèr.

Enjoy the reading!

 

MTDD: Hi Maria Cristina, and welcome again to my Blog and Virtual Cultural Salon.

MCB: Thank you, Maria Teresa, for your invitation.

 

MTDD: As I just mentioned, today, you will be taking us, even if only virtually, to visit one of the Venetian Villas, specifically Villa Badoèr.

What can you tell us about this Villa?

MCB: Villa Badoèr, also known as "La Badoèra," is located in Fratta Polesine (a municipality not far from Rovigo). It was designed by the architect Andrea Palladio around 1554-1555 and commissioned by Francesco Badoèr, a descendant of an illustrious family of the Serenissima. The building and other Palladian Villas in the Veneto have been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1996.

 

 

 

MTDD: Was there a specific reason why this Villa was built?

MCB: Yes, there was. In that historical period, the Venetian aristocracy had begun to prefer the hinterland to encourage their investments, often derived from mercantile income. The Venetian Villas thus became a symbol of their "world." Francesco Badoèr wanted a garrison to administer the property and demonstrate his social and economic status.

 

 

 

MTDD: What are this Villa's main features?

MCB: The building is located above an ancient medieval castle. The main facade recalls the harmony of Greek temples, with the triangular tympanum and the Ionic order colonnade reachable via the staircase. The barchesse arranged in a semicircle are a unique example of their kind among Palladian Villas; they have curved shapes and, together with the Tuscan-style colonnade, welcome the visitor. It should be noted that the pronaos and the main floor have frescoes with allegorical, pastoral, mythological, and sometimes grotesque scenes, which are the work of the painter Giallo Fiorentino. It is the first Villa in which the Paduan architect entirely used a pronaos with a pediment on the facade, and it is also the only one built in the Polesine area.

 

(Frescos of Villa Badoer by painter Giallo Fiorentino, half of 16th century.)

 (Copyright free photo)

 

 

Anyone wishing to have further information on this Villa may want to visit the following sites:

 

 

http://www.villevenete.net/tutte_le_ville/villa_badoer_detta_la_badoera/

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Badoer

https://www.beniculturalionline.it/location-1826_Villa-Badoer.php

https://www.culturaveneto.it/it/beni-culturali/ville-venete/6494af48b282ae2b52bb4885

 

 

MTDD: This Villa is also very fascinating. Thank you, Maria Cristina, for your research and for always presenting us with such exciting attractions from an artistic, cultural, historical, and architectural point of view.

Let's conclude our interview today with one of your local recipes, shall we?

MCB: Of course! Today, I propose Venetian Liver.

 

 

 

Recipe

Venetian liver

 

This is a simple yet tasty typical Venetian dish, which was once for poor people, although today, it is a refined dish with different variations. Once upon a time, pork liver was mainly used, but you can also use calf or beef liver, which are more tender. For 500 gr. of liver, use 400 gr. of very finely chopped white onion and a handful of chopped parsley, too (if I remember correctly, my mother didn't use it).

Place a pan with oil and a little butter on the heat (my mother didn't use butter either). When the oil is hot, add the chopped mixture, brown it, and continue cooking slowly over low heat, adding a little water, and keep the pan covered with a lid until the onion is stewed. Check the cooking to prevent the chopped onion from burning.

Then place the floured liver slices in the pan, turn them over, and add - if needed - a little more hot water to continue cooking until the end; a few minutes, from 5 to 10, are enough. Taste to ensure the quantity of salt and pepper you use is enough, then serve with mashed potatoes, polenta, or reheated bread.

 

Enjoy your meal!