In the hills south of Pavia, in beautiful unspoiled countryside, a long avenue of trees leads to Villa Gualdana.
This country house dates from the 1600s and sits in splendid private grounds filled with mulberry and hazel trees, climbing roses, peonies and hydrangeas.
This beautiful property – whose historical and artistic merit is recognized by the Italian Architectural Heritage Commission – is composed of a main private residence and two adjacent buildings, which are ideal for hosting weddings and events.
Behind the house, shady avenues of hazel trees lead to wheat fields and beautiful rows of lavender, whose intense scent attracts multitudes of butterflies in the summer. We make use of the lavender to enhance floral baskets, wreaths, crowns, or little scented bags for the guests
An Old Country House
Villa Gualdana has the architectural features of a house from the early 1800s, thanks to the work carried out by Giuseppe Luigi Cavagna, the then Mayor of Voghera, recognized by King Carlo Alberto as the first Count of Gualdana.
He was the first of his ancestors to use the house as his main residence throughout the whole year, but it was his son Giacinto who renovated the house in the period leading up to the reunification of Italy, and giving it a more ‘modern’ look.
The Villa has a neoclassical structure. The main façade is connected to the grounds behind by a central gallery, along which were the main reception rooms, designed to welcome guests.
Today, Villa Gualdana is still inhabited for most of the year by his descendants, who have continued running the agricultural business, maintaining tradition and the strong link with the surrounding land.
The Gualdana Farm
In the Gualdana countryside, the connection with the land and with rural activities is still going strong today. Wheat, corn and spelt are the typical products of this region’s agriculture, along with the cultivation of bio-products for renewable energy.
Peppers, the pride of Voghera, are cultivated in the vegetable gardens, along with numerous other varieties of vegetable, which are vital ingredients in the traditional rural cuisine of the Pavia region.
Lavender, with its distinctive colour and scent, thrives in this area. It is widely used for decorative purposes and as souvenirs for guests, so that they may take home a little piece of local nature as a moment of their stay.
