The art of living long / a new and improved English version of the treatise by the celebrated Venetian centenarian Luidi Cornaro ; with essays by Joseph Addison, Lord Bacon, and Sir William Temple.
- Cornaro, Luigi, 1475-1566.
- Date:
- 1913
Licence: In copyright
Credit: The art of living long / a new and improved English version of the treatise by the celebrated Venetian centenarian Luidi Cornaro ; with essays by Joseph Addison, Lord Bacon, and Sir William Temple. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.
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![“He created,” writes the nephew, “on a hill near Este, a delightful garden, full of divers and delicate fountains and perfect grapes.” And, continuing: “In his youth he delighted in hunting big game, such as wild boar and the stag; and, as such animals were not to be found in this country [near Padua], but in the territory of Este divided by an arm of the Po [sic], he built there a comfortable hunting residence; and an- nually, for many a year, he used to go there, killing a large number of these animals, which he either sent to some of his friends, or else distributed in Venice or Padua. When the sport was at its end, he had a comedy prepared and given in his own hall, which he had built in imitation of the ancient ones. The stage was made of durable stone; but the part reserved for the audience was of wood, so that it could be taken down and re- moved. These performances were all very successful, as he had living with him some clever artists, such as the famous *Kuzzante.” Furthermore, the Paduan records confirm, without any doubt, that he owned “a house on the hills outside the gates of Este, with an orchard and a vineyard of six fields,” which he kept for his private use. Carefully examining all the records, as well as all the his- tories of Este that have ever been published, I found — and that in a monograph of 1851 — only the following uncertain allusion to a Coraaro Villa built at that place: “Beyond [the Hunkier Palace] to the left, is a palace, perhaps in old days that of Cornaro, and later belonging to the Farsetti family; it is built on a beautiful height, and has been, according to the designs of Japelli, enlarged and improved with great taste by its present owner, Doctor Adolfo Benvenuti.” I then went to Este to find this Villa Benvenuti; and, to my surprise and delight, I found at the entrance of the garden a fine archway of classic style, in which I thought I saw no little resemblance to the architectural works of Cornaro and Falconetto. The situation of the villa coincides precisely with the description in the records of Padua; for we find, by exam- • See Note S](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24974298_0209.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
