We came across lots of villas and historical palazzos in the hills around Vicenza, but Villa Zileri was by far the prettiest one. It’s also super unique with its impressive painted salon, historical chapel and shell-covered underground grotto.

Apart from that, there’s also a beautiful garden around the Villa. We were totally surprised by the place, as it wasn’t even mentioned in our guidebook. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting this amazing villa.

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What to See at Villa Zileri

The Salone d’Onore with Frescoes by Tiepolo

The Salone d’Onore is the most important room in the villa. It’s a high-ceilinged sitting room with stucco-covered walls. The star attraction here is a series of allegorical frescoes on the walls and ceiling that were painted by the famous Rococo artist Giambattista Tiepolo.

Tiepolo was commissioned to paint them in the 1730s by the Loschi Family, who then owned the villa. There are allegorical paintings of different virtues and vices and the painting in the centre of the ceiling shows the Triumph of Glory. We also liked the nice view of the gardens from the room’s balcony.

The Chapel of San Francesco

The beautiful paintings don’t end there. If anything, we found the Cappella di San Francesco with its paintings of saints and angels even more impressive. It was originally built in the 17th century, but the paintings only date from the late 19th century.

Both the look of the figures and the geometrical partition of the neo-gothic paintings reminded us a bit of the Byzantine Christian style. We also liked the carved pillars from local Pietra di Vicenza stone that separate the apse from the main room.

The Cave of the Shells

The Grotta delle Conchiglie is definitely the most unusual room in the Villa. Its walls and ceiling are completely covered in shells, fragments of crystal and tortoise shells. The cave, which is partly carved into the hill under the villa, was constructed in 1665 as an unusual place to entertain guests.

There’s a statue of the Roman god Bacchus in an alcove opposite the entrance. The figure below him is thought to be Ariadne, the Cretan princess, who was abandoned by Theseus on Naxus after helping him escape the Minotaur’s Labyrinth (how rude and ungrateful these demigods are). Fortunately, Dionysus aka. Bacchus came along and helped her out.

The Gardens

The beautiful park around the villa was inspired by English garden design and dates to the 19th century.

Before that, there was an older garden with a more formal design, but it fell out of fashion around that time (and what’s the point of being an Italian nobleman or -woman if you’re not keeping up with the latest trends?).

Behind the villa there’s a small enclosure with roe deer, that you can check out on your way to or from the Chapel of San Francesco.

Practicalities

How to Get to Villa Zileri

Viale Zileri stands near the town of Monteviale about 5 km or 3 miles west of Vicenza. If you’re traveling by public transport, you can get to Monteviale by taking Bus 16 from Vicenza’s Viale Roma, which, at the time of writing, runs regularly from Monday to Saturday. You can check the current schedule here.

Get off at Via Biron and walk south along the road with the same name. The Villa is directly west of the road. If the gate at the eastern side of the grounds is closed (which was the case when we were there), you’ll have to walk around and enter from the south.

How Much is the Entrance Fee?

The regular entrance fee is 12€, but if you’re between 12 and 25 or over 65 years old, it’s just 6€. There’s also an 8€ ticket just to visit the garden, but I think the villa and buildings are worth paying the small extra price.

When to Visit Villa Zileri

The opening times differ from day to day and seem to change quite regularly. It’s best to check the current ones here.

What Else to Do in Vicenza

The Perfect One-Day Itinerary for Vicenza, The City of Palladio