Villa Zarri dates back to 1578 as shown by a drawing of the time (Gozzadini Manuscript) which shows it, albeit with a square plan, placed next to the church of S. Apollinare with the inscription: "Del Signor Marc'Antonio Angelelli". In the eighteenth century it was completely renovated, modified and brought to its present form, beautiful, enclosed in a magnificent park, with a rich and elegant round tympanum in the center.
On both sides of the facade stand corridors that once were greenhouses. In a wing one may still admire a chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph in which an inscription reveals that it was built by the Marchese Nerio Lorenzo Pietro Angelelli “upon returning from his travels to distant lands”.
The last of the Angelelli family were Massimiliano, famous philologist, Greek scholar and eminent orientalist, successor of Cardinal Mezzofanti in the University Chair, and his daughter Marchesa Teresa Angelelli married to Rinaldo Simonetti. He spent a lot of time in the Villa with his wife Teresa Bentivoglio, an appreciated painter, and hosted literary friends including Father Ireneo Arfo, a historian from Parma.
The Villa passed to the Brazzetti family first and then to Leonida Zarri who wanted to restore it to an ancient splendor which everyone can now admire.
Information about Villa Zarri