Monumental Garden of Valsanzibio

Originally commissioned in 1669 by the Venetian aristocratic family of the Barbarigo, the gardens are located on over 40 acres (160,000 m2) at Valsanzibio, a frazione of Galzignano Terme, 15km south of Padua in northern Italy.

It is girded by a remarkable Baroque garden and water works, with statuary and even a Boxwood labyrinth. The Villa was at one time accessible by boat from Venice, and the exuberant entry portal has the poles used in the city to tie up gondolas. The portal is pseudo palace facade with a broken pediment sporting a statue of Diana the hunter in the center, flanked by her dogs. Once through the gate, paths lead through a series of fountains and garden features, including water games. Some of the evergreen plantings date to the original gardens of the 17th-century. The gardens are accessible to visitors, but the villa remains private.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Villa Barbarigo (Valsanzibio), which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.