The Residence Villa Bottacin

The villa of Nicolò Bottacin (Vicenza 1805 – Padua 1876) was built in 1854 based on a design by the Ticino architect G. Bernardi.

Bottacin was welcomed into the cultural elite of Trieste thanks to his reputation as a collector, expert botanist and as responsible for numerous prestigious assignments.
He was a friend of Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg, resident in Miramare Castle, who often loved to take “a drive to the Villa”.

The Villa, now protected by the Superintendence of Fine Arts, is characterized by an eclectic style, which integrates Scottish influences mixed with Italian elements, battlements, balconies, terraces and a three-storey turret with an octagonal plan.

It was once surrounded by a fabulous park much larger than the one you can admire now and of which there is documentation in the watercolors by Albert Rieger, exhibited at the “Bottacin Museum” in Padua.

The museum also preserves sculptures, paintings and other art objects that Bottacin had purchased or commissioned to furnish the Villa, as well as one of the most important numismatic collections in the world.

In 2004 the Villa underwent a careful restoration which transformed it into a residence, managed for years by the Tassi family.