Villa Draghi was built on a pre-existing 17th-century building as a private villa, demolished to construct the current complex in 1848, featuring the villa-castle style spread over two floors and a basement. Over time, it lost valuable decorative elements, fixtures, and statues due to neglect and the lack of care from the Municipality that was supposed to safeguard them.
The Park and the Villa are located on the slope of one of the hundred hills that characterize the Euganean Hills, 10 km from Padua and 40 km from Venice. The rustic annexes are found at the foot of Monte Alto and at the entrance gate of the Euganean Hills Regional Park.
Patches of woodland surround small clearings crossed by paths that offer a variety of perspective effects along the way: scenes with wide views alternate with brief glimpses that open and close among trees, meadows, and bushes with changing rapidity.
The Villa is situated at the top of a hill, from which one can enjoy a splendid view of the natural amphitheater of the plain dotted with inhabited areas, watercourses, thermal springs, and agricultural land. This view is made possible by the visual permeability of the area in front, which is currently free of buildings and visual barriers. Behind the Villa, the mountain continues its ascent, providing a backdrop.
The Villa Draghi complex is publicly owned by the Municipality of Montegrotto Terme, which acquired it from the Jesuits of Venice in 1972. The Jesuits had received it as a donation from Giovannina Draghi (the last private owner since 1962, after whom it is named).
