The most romantic Brenta villa, the Palladio-designed 1555–60 Villa Foscari got its nickname La Malcontenta from a grand dame of the Foscari clan who was reputedly exiled here for cheating on her husband – though these bright, highly sociable salons hardly constitute a punishment. The villa was abandoned for years, but Giovanni Zelotti’s frescoes have now been restored to daydream-inducing splendour.
