Villa Valmarana ai Nani is a villa at the foot of the gates of the city of Vicenza, the city where we met.
Built in 1669 Villa Valmarana ai Nani is composed of three buildings, the Palazzina (Owners’ Residence), the Foresteria (Guest-House) and the Scuderia (Stables).
They are embraced by a large historical park with rose gardens, a "giardino all'italiana" with its open air theatre and well, a double hornbeams alley terminating with a statue of Neptune.
The Palazzina and the Foresteria are frescoed by Giambattista and Giandomenico Tiepolo, famous Italian painter from the 18th-century
The Valmarana family still lives in the Villa, which is universally considered the highest expression of the painting of the eighteenth century and one of the highest examples of the Tiepolo’s genius.
Not everyone knows that Villa Valmarana ai Nani also hides a famous legend, from which it derives its name.
It's the poignant legend of a dwarf, Princess Layana, daughter of one of the noble owners of the villa. Because of her deformity, the parents ordered that she live confined within the high walls of the mansion and, to avoid hurting the princess’ feelings, that all the servants and custodians of the villa were chosen exclusively among the dwarves.
The myth of the princess never seen before and confined in the villa started to circulate amongst the folks of the village, until one day a prince decided to enter the complex and look for her. When he succeeded, upon seeing him, princess Layana became aware of her condition and fell into so much despair that she took her own life by jumping off the tower. At that point the faithful but desperate dwarf servants turned into stone.
Even today the 17 dwarfs guard the eternal sleep of Layana placed on the walls of the villa… Villa Valmarana takes its name from them.
Otto and Michelle met while working at Caserma Del Din in Vicenza. She was working as a logistics specialist, ordering parts and scheduling services and he was a battalion executive officer whose responsibilities included his battalion's maintenance. They met when he needed to use her office to take part in a virtual meeting and she gave him some Skittles to help him survive the meeting since it was lunch time. A few weeks later he asked her out and they hit it off.
On 21 June, 2022, Otto asked Michelle to marry him at the Bunny Park (Parco Querini) and she said "Yes"!
Vicenza is located in the Veneto region of Italy. It's a medium-sized town, with a population of 110,000. There has been a settlement here right back into the depths of history; remains of the Roman town can still be seen. Later, after the barbarian invasions which repeatedly devastated this part of Italy, it became a significant town, ruled at different times by various greater powers. For several centuries it was governed by Venice; then Napoleon, then the Austrians. In 1866 it became part of the new Kingdom of Italy.
Vicenza was a prosperous town under Venetian rule, and its pride was demonstrated in fine architecture, much of which still survives. Its 'unique appearance,' largely owing to the work of influential sixteenth-century architect Andrea Palladio, has led to the town's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site: City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto.