t is situated to the west of the town centre at the summit of the Messano hill.It is one of the most famous monuments in the Asolo area and consists of two distinct but intimately connected bodies: the so-called “Fresco”, consisting of a spectacular façade pointing northwards and clearly seen from the S. Caterina district, and the actual villa on the southern slope of the hill. The two parts are connected by a tunnel running through the top of Mount Messano. The complex was constructed by a Venetian family, the Surians, in 1558 and became the property of the Contarinis by inheritance. Then it passed at the beginning of the 1800s into the hands of various noble Venetian families: the Bragadinis, the Soranzos and the Pasqualinis to be finally transferred to the Armenian boarding school on the island of San Lazzaro of the lagoon of Venice and recently return to private property. Worthy of note while the villa was under construction were the frescos with biblical scenes, the work of Brescian artist Lattanzio Gambara, that still adorn the southern face. Liberally adapted from “Atlante Storico delle Città Italiane – Asolo” edited by Guido Rosada directed by Francesca Bocchi © 1993 Grafis Edizioni Via 2 giugno, 440033 Casalecchio di Reno (BO)