| | | |  | Ristorante Ĉolia | Piazza da Schio 1 - Costozza di Longare, Vicenza - 36023 Italy
Phone: +39 0444555036 - E-Mail: luca@aeolia.com | | |  In the beginning, the downstairs portion of today's restaurant Ĉolia was a horse stable while the upstairs was a stop-over between the two adjacent Villas of Costozza - Villa Da Schio and Villa Trento-Carli. Like the lobby of a large hotel, guests would arrive in carriages and be greeted and escorted upstairs in the Aeolia Hall for refreshment while the horses were cared for below.
The name "Ĉolia" comes from the Greek mythological "God of the Wind", Eolo. The cellar at the Ĉolia (known as the "Jail of the Wind") is decorated with many frescoes dedicated to Eolo.
The frescoes of the Aeolia Hall were painted in the sixteenth century, and are attributed to the painting mastery of Zellotti and Fasolo, who at the time were students of the Veronese. The frescoes represent the planets, the solar system, and the signs of the Zodiac. The four niches in the hall represent the four seasons.
In the center of the dome Eolo reigns supreme. Before the Napoleonic siege the walls were covered in frescoes painted by the artist Mantegna. The walls are now covered in marble arranged in a geometrical pattern to replace the frescoes which were stolen by Napoleon's troops during their siege.
The cellar is the fulcrum of the Ĉolia . It is connected with underground tunnels, hundreds of meters long, which carry the air at a year-round temperature of 10-14 degrees Celsius. At the entrance to the cellar, an inscription is carved:
ĈOLUS HIC CLAUSO VENTORUM
CARCERE REGNAT
ĈOLIA
Eolo, King of the Wind is closed in this prison and will reign.
In fact, if you open the main door of the cellar, the wind will escape!
Many famous guests have sojourned at the Ĉolia over the years.
Galileo Galilei, astronomer, 400 years ago while he was a guest of the Magnate Francesco Trento and teaching at the Universities of Padova and Venice, mentioned in his memoirs the acute lumbago and rheumatism he picked up at the Ĉolia and which remained with him for the rest of his life.
Andrea Palladio, architect who designed many of the historical buildings in the Veneto region, spoke of the ingenious air conditioning system; Mantegna, artist, also a guest of Francesco Trento, was responsible for the frescoes in the upstairs hall.
Orazio Marinali, sculptor, was also a guest of Francesco Trento. He later constructed a sculptors workshop at the adjacent Villa Da Schio. | | | | Features and Facilities | | Type: | Restaurants | | Outdoor Dining: | Yes | | Average Price: | 30,00 EUR | | Hours of Operation: | - From 12.30am until 2.30am, and from 7.30pm until 10pm.
Closed on Tuesday
| | Directions: | The restaurant is at about 10 km far from Vicenza | | Map: | Click Here | | Speciality Dish: | Struzzo, Canguro, Bisonte | | Executive Chef: | Luca Chemello | | Executive Manager: | Luca & Luca | | Accepts Walk-Ins: | No | | Parking: | Public | | Payment Options: | American Express, Diners Club, Mastercard, Visa | | Banquet Contact: | luca@aeolia.com | | | | |
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