Villa Pico of Portovecchio and former Horse Breeding Yard (Villa Pico di Portovecchio ed ex deposito allevamento Cavalli)

This large building, which today retains almost nothing of its ancient splendour, is one of the many mansions built by the Pico family in the Mirandola countryside. Originally featuring a vast porticoed courtyard, it is now limited to a long building topped by a turret. It was given in fief by the House of Este to the Menafoglio family, but after the Unification of Italy it passed to the Army, becoming the 5th Horse Breeding Yard, reviving the horse breeding tradition begun by the Pico family during the Renaissance. The construction of the characteristic “barchessoni” in the surrounding countryside dates back to the second half of the 19th century.

Photo gallery under construction