Villa de Claricini Dornpacher

Villa de Claricini Dornpacher is located in Bottenicco di Moimacco, a small rural village on the outskirts of Cividale del Friuli. It was built around the middle of the 17th century by the de Claricini Dornpacher family and since 1971 it has been the headquarters of the foundation of the same name established at the behest of Countess Giuditta de Claricini, the most recent owner of the villa, with the aim of preserving its heritage and promoting cultural research and events.

The property includes the large stately house, a chapel and adjoining outbuildings. Although characterised by the distinctive features of the Veneto villa, the complex maintains the elongated architectural shape that is typical of the Friulian style manor farmhouse. Villa de Claricini Dornpacher still preserves the original family furniture, a fine library containing over 5,000 volumes, paintings and prints, and the Countess’s collection of antique textiles and embroideries.

The Villa looks out onto a magnificent Italian-style garden and woodland park made up of clusters of centuries-old beech, cedar, fir and holly oak trees. The villa is enclosed by the estate vineyard, from which de Claricini wine is produced and stored in the cellar next to the property.

The De Claricini family
The de Claricini family, owners of the villa in Bottenicco, originated from Bologna. They moved to Cividale around mid-13th Century, where they gained power and wealth through political allegiances and marriages to influential local families. In 1368 they were bestowed with feudal properties by the emperor Charles IV and in 1418, through another imperial investiture, de Claricini were granted the honour of adding the attribute of Dornpacher, the name of an extinct Austrian noble House, to their name.

Political and cultural events were held in high regard by the De Claricini. The scholar Nicolò de Claricini entered the history books for transcribing the Divine Comedy in 1466, thus endowing his family with one of the oldest Dante codices in the Friuli region. The 17th Century saw two Knights of Malta being appointed, both named Giacomo, and closer to recent times, Count Nicolò (1864 – 1946), who had a great interest in Dante’s works and the art of Giotto, became Chair of the Venerable Ark of St. Anthony of Padua institution. His daughter Giuditta (1891 – 1968), the most recent owner of the villa in Bottenicco, was a collector and a scholar of textile art. The Foundation de Claricini was established in accordance with the wishes laid down in her will.

The history of Villa De Claricini Dornpacher
A succession of written documents testifies to the construction of the Villa in 1670. The elongated architectural form is reminiscent of the style of a typical Friulian manor house; in the centre of the roof there is a turret with a gable and tall Venetian chimneys confer grandeur to the building.

Inside the two-storeyed Villa there is a vast central hall with two suites of laterally aligned rooms. The courtyard of honour leads to the small chapel of Santa Croce, built around 1700 and carefully restored in 2004. The interior has a single rectangular room displaying wall paintings of Saints attributed to Giacomo Carneo. The apsis is adorned with paintings by Lucilio Candido (18th Century) and features a polychrome marble altar of great beauty, a cross and statues of Saint Eurosia and Saint Francis.

Count Nicolò de Claricini had the Villa restored and the splendid Italian-style garden built between 1908 and 1909. The large central stone path is framed by pots of lemon plants and flowers, adorned with box hedges, statues and fountains. Balustrades separate the formal garden from the rest of the grounds, which expands into a beautiful lawn and centuries-old trees of larch, maple, cedar, holly oak and pine.

Weddings and special events at Villa De Claricini Dornparcher
Villa de Claricini is an exclusive location for weddings, special events, buffets, receptions, ceremonies, meetings and corporate dinners. The Villa is also an ideal setting for photo and film shoots, artistic and cultural events and concerts, cooking courses and food and wine tastings.

We have a number of reception rooms to suit all your requirements and can accommodate up to 300 seated people, together with providing all the necessary logistical facilities, outdoor parking and a kitchen service area for catering purposes.

The spacious grounds and Italian-style garden are perfect for hosting banquets and receptions and are the ideal setting for a whole host of special occasions, lending themselves to every type of organisation.

It is also possible to celebrate a civil or religious wedding ceremony inside the chapel or in the park, and you may even choose to exchange your vows under the shade of the centuries-old “bride and groom” beech tree. We also have a special room for the bride and groom.