Villa Giustinian – Molon Traverso was built around 1680 at the behest of the Venetian nobleman Girolamo Giustinian, belonging to the “delle Acque” branch, named after the Venetian street not far from Rialto where their residence stood.

From 1711 to 1735, the Bishop of Torcello, Venice, Marco Giustinian spent his summer holidays at the Villa in Campo di Pietra. Upon his death, he left a sum of money by will for the parish of San Mauro at Campo di Pietra.

Consulting the accounting books of the Giustinian family, it is interesting to learn about the production of wine “in caneva de Campo de Piera” and how it was later shipped via river to Venice either for personal use in Calle delle Acque or to be sold in the market.

In March 1792, due to complex testamentary issues, the properties passed to the Querini Stampalia and the Morosini Gatterburg family. The latter subsequently sold off much of what they inherited. “IL DOMINICALE DI CAMPO DI PIETRA,” as the property was called by the Querini Stampalia, experienced a period of agronomic expansions and prosperity, thanks also to the reclamation of some surrounding lands and the raising of silkworms.

In 1851, Count Giovanni Querini participated in the first universal exposition (London) with the silk produced in the Campo di Pietra silk factory, winning an important recognition.

The estate remained with the Querini Family until 1869 when the last family member, Count Giovanni Querini Stampalia, passed away. In his will, he left all his properties for the establishment of the Pia Querini Stampalia Foundation of Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Venice. The Foundation still exists today and opens its museum and library to the public. However, over the years, to maintain the foundation, much of the properties in the Veneto hinterland were sold, along with the Villa of Campo di Pietra.

In 1909, the Villa passed to Giuseppe Tommaseo Ponzetta, who shortly thereafter sold it to the Tagliapietra family.

In 1917, it came under the control of Guido Carretta from Santa Maria di Campagna, who effectively created, in conjunction with the raising of silkworms, an agricultural business of about a thousand hectares with vineyards, wheat, and grain.

In 1918, the Villa, located about 3 km from the Piave river, was occupied by Austrian troops during the final phase of the First World War and was hit by several shells from Italian artillery, suffering heavy damage. Between 1919 and 1923, the complex was restored to its original condition and enlarged with the construction of new cellars.

In 1969, the Villa was registered with the Regional Institute of Venetian Villas, thus imposing a structural protection constraint still in place today.

In 1995, the Molon Traverso Family purchased the Villa and, with courage, commitment, and passion, began a long renovation, restoring it to the glorious times of the Serenissima Republic of Venice. The inauguration took place in August 1996.

In 2015, Villa Giustinian – Molon Traverso was awarded by the Regional Institute of Venetian Villas at the Palazzo Ducale in Venice with the prize “Best Venetian Villa 2015” for the activities carried out and the commitment shown towards the conservation and enhancement of Villa Molon.

Today, the facilities host, as in the past, the aging cellars, the small Osteria, the wine shop with gastronomic excellences, the museum of rural civilization, administrative offices, and spaces dedicated to various types of events.

The Palazzo dei Patella is an imposing building constructed during the Renaissance, featuring a mixed Venetian-Ferrara architectural style. The majestic and well-proportioned building has two facades that are quite different from one another. The one facing the Adigetto canal has rather austere features emphasized by the rustication around the windows and the arched doors. The rear facade, more solemn, presents five full arches and a triforium in the center of the first floor, certainly of Venetian origin.

Excellences of the villa: The building has been home to the municipality of Villadose since 1923. On the ground floor, there is the museum of the "Roman Centuration," which houses about 400 artifacts collected from the great Roman centuration identified in the countryside between Adria and Rovigo.

The Archaeological Group of Villadose has set up, on behalf of the Municipality, "the Educational Archaeological Exhibition on the Roman Centuration," which only displays the artifacts collected from the aforementioned centuration and is hosted in the ancient residence of the Patella family, which has been the Town Hall since 1923. The Patella family settled in Rovigo and then in Villadose after Borso d'Este invested them with the fief of Villadose in 1470. The building can be dated between the late 1500s and early 1600s and shows influences from Ferrara. The municipal territory of Villadose is entirely occupied by the ancient agrarian layout, and within the grids of cardines and decumani, as many as 108 archaeological sites from the Roman era have been identified. The rooms on the noble floor are also worth visiting.

Excellences of the context: Villadose is located on the central connecting road exactly halfway between Rovigo and Adria, which are easily reachable. It is also crossed by the Adigetto river, and rural architecture villas are remembered that stretch around it from the district of Canale di Villadose to that of Cambio di Villadose. Not far from the center, we remember Villa Frassino, a villa that is now a venue for conventions and weddings, featuring the oldest Frassino excelsior plant in the Province of Rovigo.

Villa Ferrian, located in the Euganean Hills with a panoramic view of the valley, is a historical complex of great architectural and landscape interest. The presence of a pigeon tower, derived from an ancient defensive observation structure, and the irregular arrangement of the property's buildings – villa, barn, farmhouse, and pigeon tower – suggest very ancient origins. According to studies by architect Piera Treu, the original core may have been a tower house linked to the defensive system of the castles of Boccon and Castelnuovo, dating back to the 11th century.

One of the most characteristic elements of the complex is the internal courtyard, surrounded by buildings historically designated for residence and agricultural activities. Of particular value is the ancient community well, once used by the residents of the district. The structure features unusual extraction openings on different levels, including an elegant stone and brick entrance open in the retaining wall of the embankment.

The villa also enjoys a privileged location, with wide views towards the Berici Hills and an environmental context of great value. Located in the Regional Park of the Euganean Hills, it is surrounded by nature trails, the cycling ring of the Euganean Hills, historic Venetian villas, and numerous wineries that enhance the region's food and wine tradition.

The Valverde is a rural courtyard consisting of a group of buildings organized in a courtyard system and closely linked to agricultural production. The oldest part dates back to the early 16th century when the interests of the great Venetian merchant families began to shift towards the mainland, with the development of a new and important agrarian economy. The manor house, which is the oldest part of the courtyard and is still inhabited by the owners, retains its original beauty with large stone chimneys, painted coffered ceilings, and friezes from the school of J. Ligozzi.

The entire complex, including the homes of the lavorenti and the spaces for production activities, such as the tinazzara, the historic cellar, and the chapel, underwent an important restoration that began in the early 1960s and is still ongoing.

The courtyard, once occupied by a sunny brick yard, is now a garden rich in plants and fragrances.

The villa can be visited only by appointment at tel +39 045 526499.

The Villa Lattes complex is owned by the Municipality of Istrana, which acquired it from the Municipality of Treviso in 2004 along with the surrounding lands. In addition to the main building, there are two barns, a small chapel, other contemporary buildings, and a park adorned with two statues by Marinali and busts of the twelve Caesars.

The construction of Villa Lattes dates back to 1715, designed by architect Giorgio Massari, who later became its owner when the commissioner Paolo Tamagnino. After several subsequent changes of ownership, Villa Lattes passed to the Lattes family, to whom it owes its name and many renovations that returned it to its former glory. Bruno Lattes also placed his collection of artworks and family artifacts here, including a collection of carillons and automatons.

The building has two floors, with a central hall that spans the entire body of the building, to which a third floor is added, limited only to the central body, featuring a trifora opening in the hall and a pediment with two sloping wings adorned with late Baroque motifs. On either side of the building are the two barns, whose porticos are embellished with works, such as the fountain of the Putti and the collection of artifacts, including terracotta and stone fragments from the excavation works of the Canal Novo in Venice, incorporated with the renovations of 1938.

On the west side stands a beautiful small church still adorned with period furnishings and decorations, enriched by paintings by Amigoni (“The Immaculate” on the altar and “God the Father in Glory” on the ceiling) and bas-reliefs, including one attributed to Giovanni Bonazza depicting Paolo Tamagnino. The chapel has an octagonal plan with elongated sides.

The villa houses the Carillon Museum and a partnered Info Point tourist information center.

The Villa is situated on an artificial terrace, supported by high stone walls. The access road to Cart di Sopra runs alongside the walls of the embankment. The morphology of the hill, the terraces, and the enclosing walls, along with the ancient road system, have urbanistically structured the small nucleus of Cart di Sopra. The ridge settlement system, of medieval origin, is still intact and constitutes a landscape unit of strong environmental significance. The loss of agricultural function has favored the conversion of buildings into new residential use, corresponding to a different productive and land structure. The main access occurs from the west, through a portal defined by two rusticated pillars. To the north, the villa faces directly onto the road; a short stone staircase marks the entrance portal. At both ends of the villa, there are two evident bricked-up archways. On the east side, it opened onto a walled garden with an orchard. To the west, the villa is flanked by a porticoed building under which the public road passes. Behind the villa stood the small Church of Santa Maria. The place is mentioned in sixteenth-century notarial deeds as “loco vocato a S. Maria.” The church was visited in 1588 by Bishop Rovellio. On the north façade of the villa, on a frame of the graphite decoration, is engraved the date 1632. However, the date seems to refer to the renovation of a pre-existing structure; in fact, the villa is inserted into a building complex that develops aligned along the ridge of the hill, which includes late Gothic buildings. Proven origins dating back to at least the sixteenth century are supported by a recent archaeological dig that uncovered the Church of Santa Maria. Subterranean walls connect the church with the villa and with the Facino-Pasole house. In the 1700s, the villa belonged to the noble Villabruna family. Ownership is documented in notarial acts from 1723, 1731, and 1815. Until 1887, it was owned by the noble Marsiai heirs of Villabruna.

Excellences of the villa: The villa is an evident seventeenth-century restructuring of an older building. In the central environment, the dimensions of the southern trifora have been modified, and the bifora with a central pilaster to the north has been replaced by a single window. The decorative apparatus represents a fake porticoed architecture where green columns with golden Corinthian capitals support a beam structure. The rhythm of the columns frames areas highlighted by a perimeter band in fake red marble. Within the panels are frescoed knightly scenes, likely inspired by biblical themes. The original main body has a classical distribution scheme with a central hall and two opposed flanking rooms. The doors, bricked up, are located in the middle of the hall and included in the fresco decoration. The landscapes recall the work of Marco da Mel, who frescoed the nearby Pasole house. Some original furnishings (16th and 17th century).

Excellences of the context: The hill of Cart still constitutes an environmental context untouched by the urbanization processes that have affected the plain of the Feltrina valley. The orography, the structure of land ownership, and protective measures have promoted the preservation of an intact agricultural landscape. Historical cartography highlights a linear inhabited nucleus whose layout has remained unchanged over time. The inhabited nucleus has been recorded in the Atlas of Historical Centers compiled by the Region. Scholars agree in evaluating the avenue of Cart as a significant urban-environmental system in which the “villa” and its surroundings organize the territory. The ridge settlement system, typical especially of the hill of Cart di Sopra, is of medieval origin. The ancient sunken road lined with thick hornbeam hedges traverses an extraordinary agricultural landscape, still cultivated.

The villa is visitable by appointment.