The sumptuous Veneto villa confiscated from Giancarlo Galan, minister of culture for six months in 2011 of the Berlusconi IV government and president of the Veneto region for 15 years from 1995 to 2010, will become a cultural center . In fact, the Agenzia del Demanio has awarded the concession at a subsidized rent of the mansion, Villa Pasqualigo Rodella, to Fondazione Essenziale ETS, a social enterprise, for the next 45 years. The villa will be able to count on an activity aimed at the territory that will include cultural initiatives and events, artistic residencies, workshops, sustainable tourism routes and more. The project presented by the foundation involves an investment of 637,350 euros.
Villa Pasqualigo Rodella is located in Cinto Euganeo (Padua), along the Bisatto canal, in one of the most beautiful areas of the Euganean Hills. It was built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries by the noble Venetian Pasqualigo family, who then sold it to a family of fellow citizens, the Pasinetti, until it was purchased by the Rodella family, from Padua, around 1870: the extensions that gave the villa its present form date from the late 19th century. The property is spread over two floors, which in turn insist on cellar rooms, and has a rectangular floor plan that develops longitudinally because, with the numerous renovations, the barchessa, once open, was then annexed to the main building. The villa bears witness to that happy season of the Venetian nobility who, between the 16th and 17th centuries, used to have their summer residences built in the Euganean Hills area.
The Essential Foundation was founded in the fall of 2024 in Rovigo: it is a third sector association active in the field of culture, with a focus on community projects. It was born as an offshoot of the social cooperative Zico, also from Rovigo, which manages cultural spaces in the Veneto city. The Foundation, Zico explained when it was established, “allows the experience gained in this area to mature and develop, interweaving it with other experiences, such as that of Radio Kappa, a community broadcaster in the Polesine and lower Padua area, as well as with new entities in the cultural sphere.” The Foundation, they explained when Essenziale participated in the call for bids for Villa Pasqualigo Rodella, decided to engage in this challenge “because we know the Villa, the context in which it stands and its centuries-old history. The call for bids offered a chance to save it from abandonment and degradation. We saw in these spaces, now abandoned, the possibility of creating a living place, serving the community of Cinto and the Euganean Hills Regional Park. And to do so with the resources of creativity and professionalism that we put into the Foundation.”
The confiscation order against former President Galan was taken as part of the corruption proceedings on the Mose construction contracts, dating back to June 2014. Galan had been charged with crimes of bribery, extortion, and money laundering. On July 22 of that year, the Chamber of Deputies (Galan was in fact a deputy at the time: he was chairman of the Chamber’s Culture Commission) voted in favor of granting the arrest, and on the same day Galan was transported to Opera prison, where he remained for 78 days, until October 9, 2014, when the GIP signed the house arrest for the former president of the Veneto region, who plea-bargained for a sentence of 2 years and 10 months and a sum of 2.5 million euros. The villa had been confiscated from him as consideration. Following the confiscation, the villa was put up for auction, but the sale fell through: it has since been abandoned and has remained in a state of disrepair. Assignment to ETS Foundation is expected to lead to a rebirth of the complex.
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| Veneto, villa confiscated from former cultural heritage minister Galan will become cultural space |
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