Italian
Hidden along via Schiavonia stands Villa EGO, an ancient residence with noble and mysterious features, witness to centuries of history and elegance.
PREGANZIOL – Not far from Terraglio, along via Schiavonia, an ancient road already present in the 1423 Catasto that leads from the center of Preganziol to Casale, we find on the left Villa EGO, named after the initials of the owner, Countess Elisabetta Galvani d’Onigo, who made it her residence. The villa, uninhabited following the occupation by a British command in the Second World War, after its recovery in 1996, which faithfully preserved its overall image, is now a multifamily residence.
The complex consists of a large factory in line, developed through successive interventions, set in a park, rich in statues, which also includes a small oratory.
Villa Ego was originally built as a hunting lodge and later expanded to become a holiday home. In the 1700s, it belonged to the Grassi family, but was later purchased by Elia Cazzaiti, the director of the Venice Mint. His daughter Fortunata Cazzaiti married the nobleman from Treviso, Count Girolamo d’Onigo. Their marriage produced Guglielmo d’Onigo, who in 1836 married the Venetian noblewoman Elisabetta Galvani. The property then passed to their daughter Elisabetta, who married Count Elia Marco d’Onigo.
Elisabetta chooses the villa of Preganziol as her permanent residence, having expansion and beautification works done on the residence, suitable for the lively and festive social life of the time. The name “Lisa,” inserted on the Venetian-style floor of the top-floor salon, and the EGO emblem on the main facade, are evidence of the attention the countess had for her abode, enriched, in the rooms of the second floor and in the music hall, by a cycle of neoclassical-style frescoes, with scenes of dance, cherubs playing instruments, and “the chariot of the sun.” The same oratory, overlooking the street, was expanded and finished by Cazzaiti with a portico and Doric columns supporting the pediment. But Elisabetta’s marriage to Guglielmo was not happy; he falls in love with Caterina Jaquillard, whom he later marries and adopts the daughter Zenobia Teodolinda Costanza.
After Elisa’s death, the villa was bequeathed to her beloved niece Mathilde Accurti, who married a member of the noble Marcello family, to whom she remained until the 1990s. The villa is surrounded by a large park with centuries-old trees and rich in statues, many of which have unfortunately been stolen. On the back part of the complex, a long row of linden trees leads the visitor towards the countryside.
Curiosity
Via Schiavonia most likely owes its name to the Schiavoni, as the inhabitants of Dalmatia were called in Venice, who, in addition to being merchants, were the chosen soldiers for the defense of the Doge. According to sources, Via Schiavonia and the Colmello della Schiavonia indicate the place where the Schiavoni were quartered in the defense of the Venetian territory.
Luciana Ermini
