Villa Aldrovandi Mazzacorati

The Villa is located in the Camaldoli estate purchased by Annibale Marescotti in 1616. A few years later, in 1690, after Raniero's death, the noble building and its gardens became the property of the Aldrovandi family. Despite slight renovations on the building to make it suitable for an important senatorial family, the villa kept untouched its single-floor structure with open gallery until 1761, when works were initiated in preparation for the wedding of Gianfrancesco Aldrovandi Marescotti with Lucrezia Fontanelli. On September 24th, 1763 the small theatre with two tiers of open galleries supported by stucco caryatids and telamones by Petronio Tadolini, with busts by F. Balugani and paintings by Basoli was inaugurated. In 1765 the second storey was added to the villa. The final project was made by Francesco Tadolini who from the first half of 1770 to 1772, inspired by Neo-classical models, completed the new layout of the villa with the central body with a six-column porch, tympanum and partially elliptic wings with porch. This is the transposition in a Bolognese setting of a Venetian villa with barchesse clearly in Palladian style. In the late 18th century the villa became the property of Marquis Mazzacorati. Now the villa houses the Historical Museum of Toy Soldiers "Mario Massacesi".