Museo del Risorgimento e della Resistenza - villa Guiccioli

The Museo del Risorgimento e della Resistenza is intimately linked to the moral, cultural, and traditional life of the city and its surrounding area. The institution collects memories of events and figures that belong to Italian history and played a key role in the city's history. The heroic resistance of 1848 took place on the Ambellicopoli hill, where Villa Guiccioli, the current home of the museum, stands. This saw the people of Vicenza, united with volunteers from various regions of the country, defend the city.

The collections preserved by the museum represent a unique national heritage and are extremely varied and interesting: the core of the documentation consists of printed publications, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, portraits, paintings, prints, diaries, proclamations and announcements, decrees, private documents, coins, medals and decorations, civil and military maps, bladed weapons and firearms, flags, and various military objects.

It's not difficult to identify a common historical thread among these materials: the documents and relics in the collections represent an interesting testimony to events in Vicenza and in the whole Italy, and in some cases throughout Europe, from Napoleon's first Italian campaign in 1796 to the end of World War II and the struggle for liberation (1945). It spans a century and a half of events that have repeatedly transformed the political, social, economic, and moral landscape of Italy and Europe.

The Gabriele Fantoni Collection, undoubtedly the most interesting and historically valuable, was donated to the City of Vicenza in several phases between the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Fantoni Collection of the National Risorgimento, especially regarding Veneto region from the late 18th to the 19th century, contains numerous documents – notices, notifications, proclamations –of the political, legal, and administrative power of the Venetian government from 1848 to 1849. Also noteworthy are the autographs and documents that shed light on unknown aspects of the biography of many defenders of the lagoon city during the Austrian siege. Of particular interest are the collections of patriotic hymns, poems, and songs, many previously unpublished, mostly written by minor authors, as well as satires and humorous publications, which shed new light on the popular sentiments of the time. Also noteworthy are the complete collections of many Venetian periodicals and newspapers from 1848-1849 and the correspondence relating to the Veneto-Lombardy Political Committee from 1860-1866. Finally, the printed material is complemented by over 4,000 pamphlets; many of them extremely rare, published in the second half of the 19th century.

The institute's library preserves collections of historical books and magazines covering themes and topics from the Napoleonic, Risorgimento, and World War I and II periods. Public consultation is available by appointment.

Villa Guiccioli and the historic park

Documentary historical information on the Villa Guiccioli complex dates back to March 4, 1788, when the Bombarda Countesses from Verona sold the entire property to Antonio Marchiori from Vicenza. Owner of “houses and arable fields, meadow, and woodland on Monte Berico,” Marchiori made “significant expenditures that greatly improved their condition and status.”

In September 1794, a Venetian Mint Master of Greek origin, Marino Ambellicopoli (from whom the hill takes its name), purchased the houses and property from Marchiori. At the time, the property also appeared to include the lowland lands near the village of Campedello.

The year 1799 corresponds to the presumed construction of the Villa by the Venetian architect Giannantonio Selva.

After Ambellicopoli's death in 1803, his heirs, the Vassillis, remained the owners until 1853, when the complex was purchased by Marquis Ignazio Guiccioli, who gave the Villa its current name.

In 1848, the area was the scene of fierce battles between Austrian troops and Italian troops commanded by General Giovanni Durando.

In 1855, a small church was built, of which no trace remains today.

Marquis Guiccioli made some architectural modifications to the Villa, and it is likely that he also carried out significant work on the surrounding greenery. Guiccioli's successors remained owners of the complex, under various titles, until 1935, when the Municipality of Vicenza purchased Villa Guiccioli, “with park and adjoining lands,” to establish a Historical Museum of the Risorgimento and War. At that time, some restoration work and modifications were carried out to both the Villa and the Garden.

The Villa Guiccioli park occupies the summit of the Ambellicopoli hill (151 meters above sea level) and covers approximately four hectares. To the northeast, the steepest part of the slope is covered by woodland, while the historic park lies on the almost flat summit area.

The park boasts a total of 536 plants, including trees and shrubs, belonging to both local flora and exotic species; approximately forty species have been identified. Shrubs are rather sparse and consist primarily of cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) and yew (Taxus baccata). Evergreen tree species account for 63% of the total (cypress 31%, cedars 13%).

The majestic presence of the Zelcova (Zelcova carpinifolia), listed among the monumental trees of the province of Vicenza, further enhances the importance of this park.

In the eastern section, the park presents no interruptions to the forest; the large holm oaks, cypresses, and the zelcova itself are in close contact with the woodland's trees and shrubs. Numerous trails wind through the flowering ash, elm, hop hornbeam, and majestic downy oaks.