The History
Brief historicalnotes on theTalon-Sampieri family
An estate that has existed through more than five hundred years of history, rising silently majestic amidst the lovely Bologna countryside.
This is Villa Talon, an aristocratic estate surrounded by a park planted hundreds of years ago on 25 acres of land, at the centre of a vast farm estate at Volta Reno near Argelato, a town in Bologna province. The history of Villa Talon has its roots in an ancient, aristocratic past, marked by the union of two noble families.
On one side, the powerful Sampieri family who, from the 16th to the 18th century, participated in the Senate of Bologna, holding the highest offices during the 17th century. On the other side, the noble Talon family, of Irish origin where, already in the 10th century they held the title of Barons – who transferred in the 16th century to France, where they held prestigious positions in the military and in the magistrature.
The union of the two families, Talon-Sampieri occurred in 1849, when the Marquise Carolina Sampieri, sole heir of the dynasty, married Denis Gabriel Victor Talon, descendant of a noble French family and nephew of Antoine-Omer Talon (1760-1811), whose father, a former general under Napoleon, had moved with his family to Bologna in 1830.
Since then, the estate was often the centre of the social life of the city’s aristocracy and site of important cultural events, hosting, through the years, numerous illustrious guests. This prestige continued in the two following centuries and even now, the estate offers the possibility of organizing and holding weddings, receptions and events, in a sumptuous Villa where history has long been at home.
The illustriouspersonalities ofthe Talon family
1595-1652
Omer Talon
Great lawyer and King’s Counsel at the Parliament of Paris.
1625-1694
Jean Talon
Promoter of French interests on the North American Continent and First Intendant of “New France” (Canada). He is considered to be the founder of Quebec.
1760-1811
Antoine-Omer Talon
He was “Lieutenant Chatelet”, one of the highest positions in the French security under Luigi XVI, for whom he organized the “Flight to Varennes“.
The Reno river runs between and joins the two estates of the Talon family
“Talon” is a very well-known name in Bologna, because of the renowned park that extends from the slopes of the hill of St. Luke’s to Casalecchio di Reno. Two of the residences built by the family in different periods of history are located in this park. It was from here, at the Casalecchio estate, that the Talons first moved to the estate at Volta Reno, near the town of Argelato; the town was easily reached by boat, navigating on the Reno. It is interesting to note that the course of the river was closer to the villa in the past than it is now, as can be seen from the photograph, published at about that time, in which a magnificent thoroughbred can be seen galloping along the track on the embankment, ridden by a jockey in blue silk, one of the horses already in training at the Villa.
The place name “Volta Reno”, where Villa Talon was built, suggest various interpretations, possibly referring to the frequent works undertaken to alter the path of the river in this area, between 1100 and the mid-17th century. Or it could simply refer to the original bend in the river, called a “Volta” or “turn” along the Reno between Bagno di Piano, Volta Reno and Argile, just behind the Villa. This bend was eliminated in 1884-1887 with a new waterway.