Bevilacqua

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Bevilacqua is a comune with 1,691 inhabitants in the province of Verona. The Bevilacqua family established this commune which began as as a settlement of ancient Venetic people on the banks of the River Adige documented to 589 A. D. The fortification of this settlement eventually came to be known as the Bevilacqua Castle located in the Principality of Bevilacqua established on May 7, 1059 now known as the Commune of Bevilacqua. In the 14th century, Count Guglielmo Bevilacqua began a restoration and expansion of the castle completed by his son Francesco. In 1532, Count Gianfrancesco Bevilacqua commissioned Michele Sanmicheli to completely renovate the medieval building and convert it into a villa with a new and more comfortable interior. In 1756, Count Gaetano Ippolito Bevilacqua renovated part of the castle. After damage caused during the Napoleonic wars at the beginning of the 19th century, the castle was set on fire by Austrian troops in 1848. After 1860, Baroness Felicita Bevilacqua La Massa had the castle renovated in successive stages. The external walls were decorated with merlons and the entire building acquired a neo-gothic savour in line with the romantic spirit of that time.

In 1932, The bevilacqua family donated the castle to Italy, and commissioned Engineer Eleuterio Mutto's design for converting the castle into a nursing home ("Asilo di Quiete Bevilacqua-La Masa"). In 1945 the castle was entrusted to the Salesian friars who used it as a boarding school until 1966. In 1980, the castle underwent a total restoration programme aimed at the architectural recovery of the magnificence of the 16th century.

The Bevilacqua castle is situated between Padova and Verona, and 5 km from Montagnana. The Bevilacqua Castle has been meticulously maintained and restored, and is open to visitors. The external medieval architecture encloses a 16th century interior ascribed to the famous architect Michele Sanmicheli. The first floor offers room to accommodate up to 500 guests and is surrounded on three sides by a hanging garden. The internal court, with its porticos, offers additional room for buffets or special evenings. The Bevilacqua Castle also hosts a standing exhibition of antique furniture.

Bevilacqua is also an Italian surname. “Bevi l’acqua” means “he drinks the water” or “tea totaler”. Famigle Celebri Italiane published in 1819 written by Count Pompeo Litta (1781-1852)detailed the biographical and genealogical records of the most celebrated and influential one hundred families of Italy. His work included the Bevilacqua family. Pompeo Litta utilized several Bevilacqua family histories as references for his work including: The Origin of the Most Illustrious Family of the Gentleman Count Ercole Bevilacqua by Adriano Valerini in 1578, Totius Bevilacqua by Sebastiano delle Donne and Girolamo Stringario in 1584, Famiglia Bevilacqua by Vittorio Baldini in 1606, Genealogy of the Bevilacqua Family by Francesco Luzzi in 1626, Biographical Traits of the Marquis Bevilacqua of Ferrara by Ratta in 1750, and The Story and Memory of the Noble Family Bevilacqua by Antonio Frizzi written in Parma during 1779.

Of all the Bevilacqua family histories, Bishop Valerio Seta wrote the most extensive historical compendium of the origins and descendancy of the Bevilacqua family in 1608. This work was based on the original archives of the Bevilacqua family kept in the archives of the civic museums in Verona, Bologna, and Ferrara. Bishop Seta was Cardinal Bonifacio Bevilacqua Aldobrandini’s theologian, and a close personal friend. Count Litta’s work included almost every descendant of Morando Bevilacqua di Veronese (1150-1221) including Cardinal Bevilacqua. Morando Bevilacqua was the progenitor of the noble Bevilaqua family whose ancestors were from Ala of Trento, and he established the Ancient Line of Bevilacqua of Verona and Cremona.

Morando Bevilacqua’s family had constructed a castle and a church to form the ancient nucleus of the city of Trento during the time of the Romans. Trento was located on the ancient Antoniin Roman road which was an important trade route between Europe and the Mediterranean. The area surrounding Trento had expansive forests for lumber, grapes for wine production, mulberry bushes to raise silk worms, and the Italian silk industry began there in 400 A.D. Morando was one of the Quattroventi or the Counsel of Noble Men who presided over the Republic of Verona. An ancient document in Latin ascribed Albertinus Bibitaquam (Bevilacqua), Morando’s brother, the city of Cana Vase Romano near Torino on 1258. Albertinus expanded his family’s lumber, wine, and silk enterprises in this area of Italy.

Coordinates: 45°14′N 11°24′E