For centuries the vast Vescovana estate, with a building probably dating to the 17th century, represented a precious source of income for the prestigious Pisani family, owners of the grand villa of the same name in Stra which had already fallen into disuse due to the downfall of the Republic of Venice. The fate of the estate was improved by Almorò III Pisani’s wife, Evelyn van Millingen, a cultured and refined woman, who starting in 1880, provided the house with terraces on the main floor and completely reorganised the garden. In the area near the villa, the countess created a vast fan-shaped formal garden with elaborate parterres, bordered by thick, low boxwood hedges with flowers at the centre, embellished with a lavish sculptural decor with herms, balustrades, obelisks and a cup-shaped fountain. Among the original flowers chosen by Evelyn there were various species of tulips, hyacinths, narcissi, crocuses, irises, lilies, gladioli, following the guidelines of Hortus Floridus (1614) by the Dutch Crispijn van de Passe who had contributed to the spreading of the “tulip mania” across Europe. The marked axial structure of today’s garden gradually blends into the natural layout of the surrounding park, home to many centuries-old trees, a rock garden, a theatre, a temple, folly ruins, an ice-house and the 1860 family chapel, an important example of Elizabethan Gothic Revival by architect Pietro Selvatico Estense.