NOVEMBER 24, 2022
Palazzo Te and Villa Della Torre forge a new alliance, giving rise to the new wine ‘Camera dei Giganti’
Mantua, November 24, 2022 - Art and architecture, literature and history, tradition and the production of the territory: the new alliance between Fondazione Palazzo Te and Villa Della Torre emerges around this precious trio of binomials. This exclusive project first of all confirms the extraordinary evocative power of Italy’s cultural heritage as well as the great potential represented by public-private partnership and collaboration.
On the one hand Palazzo Te in Mantua, the Gonzaga family residence designed in imitation of ancient Roman villas and recognized as one of the best examples of suburban Mannerist Renaissance villas, and on the other hand Villa Della Torre in Fumane, not far from Verona, built by the family of the same name between the 15th and 16th centuries as a tribute to the civilization of Rome, which has become a unique ‘domus antiqua romana’. These are two masterpieces whose histories have spanned the centuries, running along parallel lines and leading back to the great architect and artist, Giulio Romano.
It is precisely from this common author’s signature that today’s narrative, created by the two partners begins, revealing a series of aesthetic and conceptual similarities that unite them.
The first affinity revolves around the interplay of perspectives offered by both façades: a rational and regular succession based on a single median axis that guarantees the observer an equally unique perspective. The architectural work underpinning the exterior spaces is of the same matrix, where in both cases a distinctive rectangular fishpond stands out, surmounted by a triple-arched Roman bridge, as well as the presence of the satyr, used as a decorative element. The peristyle of Villa Della Torre, the fulcrum of the entire dwelling, also recalls the rustic monolithic columns of the atrium of Palazzo Te, with its blatant unfinished pillars with their large, roughly-hewn ashlar blocks and the marked irregularity of the capitals. This element is recognized as a distinctive feature of Giulio Romano’s architectural lexicon, on a par with his repeated references to the grotesque and the horrific. An obvious expression can be seen in the giant monster-like fireplaces inside Villa Della Torre and the astonishing frescoes adorning the walls of the Camera dei Giganti in Palazzo Te.
The result is an interplay of superimpositions – visible right from the logo that depicts the two façades, one adjacent to the other, tracing the lines of a single imaginary palace – that becomes the common thread of a narrative, also in terms of images, that is both original and contemporary – its digital iterations on social media platforms is important – and represents an alternative point of view from which to admire the two splendid monuments.
Confirming the great commitment and fertile collaboration between the two partners, Villa Della Torre – a monument but also a Valpolicella winery owned by the Mastella Allegrini family – has chosen to embellish the limited edition of its Valpolicella Classico Superiore, produced with grapes from the vineyards surrounding the Villa, precisely with an illustration of the fresco in the Chamber of the Giants in Palazzo Te. The resulting wine is called ‘Camera dei Giganti’ Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC.
A happy and fertile alliance, celebrated by the production of a new wine that is the offspring of ancient tales and a communal, refined sense of beauty.
This exclusive initiative seeks to underline and reinforce cultural identity and enhance the territory.
It is a project inspired by profound and authentic passion for the beauty and goodness underpinning ‘Italian know-how’.
By highlighting the similarities and the common factor of excellence, the project bridges the distance between the two places, virtually bringing the two cities – Mantua and Verona – closer together and on a macro level, the two regions – Lombardy and Veneto. It also extends a new helping hand to proximity tourism.
“Italy’s cultural heritage is a generous resource for culture, capable of involving aesthetic sensibility, education in experiencing life’s pleasures and the very development of civilizations. The arts, monuments, architecture, but also the productive traditions, wines, recipes, and the fascinating spirit of banqueting are an expression of this. The partnership between Palazzo Te, a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, a wonderful synthesis of architecture, literature and vision, and Villa Della Torre, an icon of a wine sector forged out of passion and terroir, is a happy and fertile alliance.”
said Stefano Baia Curioni, Director of Fondazione Palazzo Te.
“Entering Villa Della Torre means immersing oneself in the history of our country’s art and architecture and coming into contact with that extraordinary world of wine that makes Italy, and Valpolicella in particular, an international benchmark in terms of wine culture. Two souls that are inseparable from each other converse here without limits in time and space. Extending this union to Palazzo Te, becoming together the spokesman of the ‘Great Beauty’ of which Italy is ambassador, is a source of great pride for our family”.
commented Marilisa Allegrini (Order of Merit for Labor), owner of Villa Della Torre.
“This project is the result of a long and in-depth study that has allowed us to bring to light the passions and interests of those who first experienced the Palazzo as well as the Villa. A journey through time that we wish to share with the general public – intriguing the enthusiast and captivating the novice – and celebrate with this special, exclusive label. We are aware that only an accurate knowledge of history and enhancement of the geographical area that is also appropriate to the times and its new expressive forms can guarantee that fundamental process of safeguarding and promoting Italian culture”
explained Caterina Mastella Allegrini, Marketing Director of Villa Della Torre.
