In Fraforeano, the Villa Kechler de Asarta, with its annexed 19th century historical park, welcomes its guests in a romantic setting full of atmosphere, ideal for those who love outdoor ceremonies.
Villa Kechler de Asarta History
The origins of Villa Kechler de Asarta go hand in hand with the history of the feud of Fraforeano which, according to documents dating back to 1275, had been granted by the patriarch of Aquileia to the Counts of Varmo.
From 1468 to 1640, the Feudo belonged to the noble Venetian family of the Barbarigo, now extinct, who later sold it to the Molins, who then in turn passed it to another noble Venetian family, the Correr. In 1756 it was bought by the Crotta family, who sold it to the Gaspari family in 1838.
Currently the villa and the park are owned by the Kechler family who received them as inheritance from the de Asarta, branch of an illustrious Spanish family who moved to Italy around 1700, who had bought them in 1883. The architectural complex, with the dominical house flanked by barchesse, originally intended for agricultural use, owes its current appearance to transformations occurred in the second half of the 800 by Vittorio de Asarta, who introduced a radical modernization in the management of the agricultural estate (first European use of the electric plow) .
The story of Villa Kechler is also interwoven with that of the writer Ernest Hemingway who got to know the Kelcher family in 1948, in Cortina. From that day on he had a great friendship, with the American writer who was a guest on the property of Fraforeano several times. The love for the Friuli countryside will also be found in the scenes and characters of "Beyond the river and among the trees", with the localities of San Martino di Codroipo and Fraforeano di Ronchis to give background to the novel.
The park of about 3 hectares extends to the south-west of the villa, along the banks of the Tagliamento. An extraordinary example of garden architecture, the park is attributed to the architect Jappelli, who worked there around the middle of the 1800s. It develops around a small lake, with 2 islets, bordered by the Taxodium disthicum, which in autumn take on an intense reddish color and the resulting earth has formed a hill, Monte Cucco.