Villa Contarini Fondazione G.E. Ghirardi

Villa Contarini is located in Piazzola sul Brenta, a few kilometers from Padua and Vicenza, on the remains of an ancient castle built by the Dente family around the year one thousand.
Acquired by the Carraresi, lords of Padua, it was inherited by a member of the Contarini family. It is hypothesized that the initial project is by the architect Palladio. Until the second half of the seventeenth century, the Villa remained a rural residence.

In fact, it was Marco Contarini, Procurator of St. Mark, who expanded the building making it similar to a royal palace and turning it into an extraordinary “theatrical place.”
After a long period of abandonment, the complex was purchased by the Camerini family who restored it to its former splendor completing it according to the taste of nineteenth-century eclecticism.
After the Camerini period ended, the Villa experienced a new period of abandonment until it was purchased, in the mid-twentieth century, by Prof. G.E. Ghirardi and subsequently transferred to the foundation named after him.
Since 2005, the Villa has been owned by the Veneto Region, which is currently engaged in its enhancement.

Periodically, it hosts concerts and cultural events in addition to being an ideal place for holding conferences, meetings, and public and private receptions.

The visit to the villa is always accompanied by a guide who introduces the history and the environments. Entering into history, room by room, is incredibly evocative.

The villa is open every day except Wednesday. The hours vary according to the seasons. The beautiful park, which consists of 45 hectares of green space, is also open. It will be truly enchanting to walk among the avenues, the parterre, the ice house, the pond, and other outdoor spaces.