Villa Smeraldi

A green area shows the presence of the big park of Villa Smeraldi, in the hamlet of San Marino on the road that leads to Bentivoglio, along the Navile Canal,

Villa Smeraldi was named after one of its owner, Rigoberto Smeraldi, who set up home here from 1922 to 1942 to follow personally his farm adjoining the Villa.

The structure is constituted by the manor house, the land agent residence, the tower, the stable, the woodshed, the pigeon house, the icehouse, the farmhouse, the piggery, the conserve area and the “casa dell’Ortolano”, all built in different moments. The first residential complex is constituted by the manor house, the stable and the land agent residence and dates back to 1787, while the other structures are newer, going back to 20th century.

In 1882 the main building had a big loggia in the entry, 3 rooms and a cellar in the north side, while the upstairs floor was constituted by 10 rooms. Subsequently enlarged, the manor reached its present structure in 1882, thanks to Antonio Zucchini.

Villa Smeraldi now houses the Museum of Rural Culture's collections.

Upstairs , the “Salone delle Feste” (Party Room), which is decorated with wonderful frescoes, hosts conventions and concerts.