An eighteenth century villa for starbathing, 15 minutes from Vicenza

About

WHY GO

Fifteen minutes from central Vicenza, the road climbs into the wooded folds of the Berici Hills and arrives at an eighteenth century country villa surrounded by five hectares of gardens, old trees and olive groves. Stay until evening. The pool overlooks the hills, the terrace serves drinks by candlelight after dark, and beyond the formal garden the grounds move into olive trees and woodland. Pomegranates and cedars have grown here for generations, while the olive grove already appears on nineteenth century cadastral maps. Starbathing here is beautifully uncomplicated. Dinner, a walk through the grounds, a chair outside, then enough time under the night sky for your eyes to adjust and the city fifteen minutes away to feel considerably farther.

FIVE HECTARES AFTER DARK

Villa Michelangelo was built in the eighteenth century as the country residence of the noble Tomi family, in the Palladian architectural tradition that shaped so much of the countryside around Vicenza. The estate later passed to the Counts Osboli and, in 1914, to the Zilio family. It became a hotel in 1977. The grounds still preserve some of their older planting, including century old trees, old pomegranates, cedars and the historic olive grove. In summer, the panoramic pool faces directly across the Colli Berici. The hotel’s 2026 programme describes late evening drinks by candlelight on the terrace beside it, which may be the easiest possible beginning to a night spent outside.

THE TOMI FAMILY BUILT THEIR OWN THEATRE

The villa was designed for country life with considerably more entertainment than a modern wellness retreat might suggest. The Tomi family created a private theatre inside the house for performances during their eighteenth century stays in the countryside. The room survives today with timber beams, stucco decoration, Murano crystal chandeliers, drapery around the windows and the old proscenium. The hotel also preserves the former grand ballroom, now named after Carlo Goldoni, whose comedies famously observed the pleasures, excesses and social rituals of Venetian aristocratic life. So the evening history of Villa Michelangelo began long before anyone invented the word starbathing.

LOOK INSIDE

Restoration preserved much of the material character of the old residence. High ceilings and exposed roof beams remain, together with antique furniture, authentic walnut fittings and traditional Venetian floors. Several rooms retain terrazzo veneziano, the traditional Venetian terrazzo flooring made from fragments of stone set and polished into a continuous surface. The villa itself has a symmetrical central body, two lateral loggias with Doric columns and two small towers.

DINNER BEFORE THE STARS

La Loggia restaurant looks across the gardens and Berici Hills, with a terrace for warm evenings. Its kitchen works with Vicenza and Veneto ingredients including Sopressa Vicentina DOP, black truffle from the Berici Hills, Broccolo Fiolaro di Creazzo, local trout and Asiago cheese. Bacalà alla vicentina also appears among the dishes the hotel identifies with the local tradition. Bread, pasta and desserts are made in house. The current 2026 menu includes baccalà mantecato with crisp polenta, ravioli filled with traditional braised meat, and pasta with octopus and Rotzo potatoes. Dinner runs until 22:30, leaving plenty of night afterwards.

STARBATHING

No telescope is required for the idea. Starbathing simply means spending sustained time outdoors beneath the night sky, allowing darkness, temperature, distant sounds and the gradual appearance of stars to become the activity. At Villa Michelangelo, the natural places for it are the panoramic terrace, the garden around the pool and the grounds surrounding the villa. The hotel currently runs no dedicated astronomy programme, so this is a self guided night outdoors rather than an organised observation session.

SUMMER POOL DAYS

The panoramic pool is open during the warmer months, generally May to September. The 2026 hotel press kit also lists day access for visitors who are not staying overnight, from 10:00 to 20:00, with a towel included. The pool lies within the old olive grove and has its own bar. For the full starbathing version, an overnight stay makes considerably more sense, since the public pool day finishes before the real darkness begins.

DISTANCE FROM VICENZA

Around 6 km, approximately 15 minutes by car from the historic centre. SETTING Five hectares of private grounds, with mature trees, olive groves, gardens and woodland. POOL Panoramic, overlooking the Colli Berici. BEST TIME FOR STARBATHING Warm evenings from late spring through early autumn give the easiest access to terraces and gardens. Autumn can be beautiful too, with earlier darkness and the Berici countryside already moving into harvest season.

ADDRESS

Hotel Villa Michelangelo Via Sacco 35 36057 Arcugnano, Vicenza

INFO AND BOOKING

PHONE

+39 0444 550300 HOTEL villamichelangelo.vi@starhotels.it RESERVATIONS reservations.villamichelangelo.vi@starhotels.it