Villa Gropella in Valenza

Valenza - Valenza is a Piedmontese town in the province of Alessandria; rises 125 meters above sea level and has 18,000 inhabitants. The most splendid artistic jewel in the city is certainly Villa Gropella. Located in the agricultural area of Valenza, it is an eighteenth-century villa consisting of a central body and several secondary wings. Above it stands a bell tower which houses a bronze bell dated 1677.

To the noble part of the building there is a Baroque chapel with a circular dome, with remarkable baroque furnishings inside, a beautiful altar and marble columns with friezes and stuccos; the walls are entirely decorated. Two side rooms were used to keep men and women separate during the functions. The origins of this site are not well known but the discovery of a Roman tomb from the 2nd century testifies to an ancient settlement in this locality. What is certain is that the villa was owned by the Gropello counts first and by the Vaccari family subsequently and up to the present day. Today the villa hosts a farmhouse and organizes hospitality and events.