Bagnolo di Lonigo rice

Rice cultivation was introduced to the Vicenza plains by the Benedictines, who are credited with regulating the waters that previously made much of the territory marshy.
In the district of Lonigo, Bagnolo had a particular vocation for this, being a location of explicit water wealth. It is home to Villa Pisani, one of the most significant works by Andrea Palladio, which was designed with the needs of rice cultivation in mind: the front, facing the Guà river, for loading the grain bound for Venice; the back, overlooking the large courtyard, with the barchesse equipped for processing.

The tradition of rice cultivation lives on today in the two courts (Pisani and Nogarola) that maintain their original agricultural function, with the distinction that the entire rice cycle—from sowing to harvest, followed by drying and husking—is carried out using the company’s own equipment and facilities.