Holiday apartment in Isola Rizza: Villas, history and rice cultivation

Isola Rizza brings together landscape, rice cultivation and a remarkable succession of historical evidence. Among waterways, marshy areas and sandy rises, you will encounter traces of early settlements, unusual local features and villas with elaborately decorated rooms. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Isola Rizza, you can shape your stay around these different facets of the area.

Holiday apartment in Isola Rizza amid riverside landscapes and rice cultivation

Isola Rizza lies on a plain bordered by the Adige and the Menago. The Bussè lies to the south, while the Piganzo runs through the area. Dossi is also one of Isola Rizza’s sandy rises, which are considered deposits left by the waterways. For centuries, the marshy areas favored rice cultivation. This has created a landscape in which water, landforms and agricultural history are closely interconnected.

Historical traces from the Iron Age to the Treasure of Isola Rizza

A biconical urn from the Early Iron Age, found in Pieve in 1949, provides evidence of a settlement there that had previously remained unexplored. The Casalandri necropolis dates from the 3rd to the 1st century BC and documents an extensive settlement. A coat of arms from 1535 at the foot of the bell tower of the parish church depicts a sow with a bundle of rice stalks in its mouth. The town center is also home to the Croce del Gallo, an unusual votive cross complex. The so-called Treasure of Isola Rizza was discovered by chance in 1872 in Isola Rizza, in the Veronese plain, and is now kept at the Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona. In 1589, the knight Andrea from the noble Mandelli family settled in the Isola Rizza area to establish an estate there.

Villas with frescoes, courtyards and Veronese marble

Villa Polettini was built in the 15th century and has a large hall as well as four rooms with 16th-century frescoes and floral decorations. One room features painted landscape panels on its east, south and west walls, with a fantastical architectural composition, painted pilasters with candelabra motifs and small classical medallions, as well as a coffered ceiling with octagonal panels in pink and ivory. The doors are topped with painted marble imitations. Villa Polettini also contains a large fresco added in the 19th century, entitled “La finta malata”. Villa Buri in Isola Rizza was included in the FAI campaign “I Luoghi del Cuore” in 2003, 2016, 2020 and 2022.

Built in the 18th century, Villa Maffei De Medici comprises a rectangular building and two independent side buildings that form a U-shaped courtyard. The main building of Villa Sagramoso Buri dates from the 15th century and has a large continuous central hall as well as six rooms on the ground floor. Four of them have openings with raised decorations made of red Verona marble and floral elements.

Discover local history in line with your travel interests

For choosing your location, the landscape around the Piganzo, the area’s historic rice cultivation, archaeological sites and the villas offer different focal points. Those choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home in Isola Rizza can therefore plan their stay around their personal interest in the landscape, local cuisine or architectural and local history. If you are traveling with several generations, this allows you to combine historical discoveries and regional themes without letting a single focus determine the trip. The book “Isola Rizza Ieri e Oggi” is available at the Pro Loco Isola Rizza office and offers another opportunity to learn more about the area.

More local pages: Trevenzuolo, Pai, Ceraino, Rivalta, Palù Dei Mori, Borghetto, Pastrengo, Erbé

To the main travel overview: Verona.