Villa Balduini Tambosi: the charm of the Trento hillside

Villa Balduini Tambosi, now home to the Fondazione Bruno Kesslers’s ECT Centre for Theoretical Nuclear Physics, stands on the slopes of the Villazzano hill, just outside Trento. The building, erected at the end of the 18th century by the noble Balduini family, is a treasure chest containing small pearls of Trento art. The building is surrounded by a large 19th-century-style park, decorated with statues that allowed the owners to enjoy a romantic corner just a stone’s throw from the city.

In the second half of the 19th century, the villa passed into the hands of the Tambosi family, who renovated the façade, giving us the marvellous neoclassical façade and the colonnade that surrounds it and that is still the Villa’s calling card today.

The oil-on-plaster decorations of four of the building’s noble rooms, commissioned by the Balduini family from court painter Domenico Zeni da Bardolino, known as ‘il Pittorello’, also date back to the early 19th century. Entering these rooms will immerse you in ancient stories: from Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’ to the heroic deeds narrated in the ‘Iliad’. These rooms testify to the refined taste of the patrons and their love of classical culture, typical of neoclassicism.

WHAT WILL YOU DISCOVER DURING THE FAI (Fund for the Italian Environment) DAYS?

At the entrance to the hamlet of Villazzano is a magnificent villa in neoclassical style, surrounded by a garden characterised by sculptures and fountains. On the occasion of the FAI Autumn Days, it will be possible to exclusively visit the interiors of this marvellous building, which are usually not accessible as the villa currently houses the internationally renowned Bruno Kessler Foundation’s Centre for Theoretical Nuclear Physics ETC. Visitors can therefore admire four salons decorated in the early 19th century by court painter Domenico Zeni da Bardolino (known as ‘il Pittorello’) and surrounded by neoclassical stuccoes. Entering these rooms, the visitor will be immersed in ancient stories: from Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’ to the heroic deeds narrated in the ‘Iliad’; these depictions testify to the refined taste of the patrons (the Balduini family) and their love of classical culture, typical of neoclassicism.

Admission at a free offer. In the event of a special turnout, admission to the venue may not be guaranteed.