Villa Cicogna, Mannerist villa in La Cicogna, San Lazzaro di Savena, Italy

Villa Cicogna is a residence in San Lazzaro di Savena designed in the mannerist style, featuring a portico with seven round arches supported by large columns facing the garden. The building was constructed with a single floor and its interior is decorated with frescoes by artists such as Carlo Lodi and Antonio Rossi from the 18th century.

The villa was commissioned by Marquis Giacomo Boncompagni, son of Pope Gregory XIII, and is unofficially attributed to Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola, who died in 1573. In the 17th century it passed to the Falconieri family, in 1743 to the Colonna princes, and later by marriage to the Pepoli. Eleonora Colonna had the estate restored, commissioning tempera paintings for eleven rooms.

The name Cicogna comes from the district of La Cicogna where the villa stands, not from a family. Inside, the surviving wall temperas by Carlo Lodi and Antonio Rossi depict the Stories of Moses, the Story of Telemachus inspired by Fénelon's novel, and 18th-century European wars. Since 2016 the Unipol group has used the residence for training employees, agents and stakeholders.

The estate is located on Via Emilia, a main street in town, and can be reached via a pedestrian and cycling path just outside the road. It is best to check in advance whether the villa is open for visits or cultural events, as access can vary.

The original project planned for two floors, but only the ground floor was ever constructed, giving the building an unfinished architectural story. This detail makes it an interesting example of Renaissance construction projects that did not proceed as originally intended.