Villa Valmarana ai Nani: The Curious Legend of the Dwarfs

The Veneto is famed for its fine villas, built by Palladio and his followers as summer retreats from the heat and humidity of Venice. All are beautiful, set in the rolling hills of the Berici, but a few have stories and legends attached which make them even more interesting. One such is the Villa Valmarana ai Nani (nano means dwarf in Italian), famed for its Tiepolo frescos, but above all for its curious statues of dwarfs along the garden wall. 

But first, let’s visi