Padua

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 1000 AC. Acquired by the Carraresi, lords of Padua, it was inherited by a member of the Contarini family.

It is assumed that the initial project was by the architect Palladio.

Until the second half of the seventeenth century the Villa remained a rural residence. It was, in fact, Marco Contarini, Procurator of San Marco, who expanded the building making it similar to a palace and making it an extraordinary "theatrical place". After a long period of abandonment, the complex was purchased by the Camerini family who brought it back to its former glory, completing it according to the taste of nineteenth-century eclecticism. After this the Villa underwent a new period of abandonment until its purchase, in the middle of the last century, by the prof. G.E. Ghirardi and the subsequent transfer to the Foundation named after him.

Since 2005 the Villa has been owned by the Veneto Region, currently engaged in its valorisation. It periodically hosts concerts and cultural events as well as being an ideal place to host public and private conferences, meetings and receptions.

The garden of the Villa is open to visitors, but the main building of the Villa is not, as it is reserved for various associations that operate in the social sector, such as a nursing home for the elderly. 

The side building, however, houses the Municipal Library.

The Historic Park represents one of the rare examples of a garden that has survived to our time, designed according to scenographic criteria capable of creating panoramic illusions of a particular effect. The so-called English garden, in this case designed by the famous set designer Francesco Bagnara.

Hours of the Historic Park

From May to September: WEDNESDAY - SATURDAY - SUNDAY continuously from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Free entry.

Possibility of guided tours (049 9471066)

The large complex of the villa in Galliera Veneta, located in the immediate vicinity of the town center, is the result of a series of transformations carried out in different eras; however, the origins of the oldest nucleus date back to the 16th century. In 1518, Pietro Capello declared ownership of a manor house with agricultural annexes, a dove tower, a vegetable garden, and an orchard, which was expanded in the following century following the concession by the Republic of Venice to use the water from the Brenta River for the feeding of a canal. At the death of Andrea Capello in 1796, the estate must have been significantly larger, as the estimated inheritance cited not only a manor house but also a barn, a small chapel, stables, other buildings, and a garden with two fish ponds and a small lake. In 1821, the villa was purchased by the Comello family, who were responsible for the arrangement of the garden, which the renowned set designer Francesco Bagnara transformed into an English park, modifying the previous geometric organization of the Renaissance garden by introducing waterways, elevations, and the planting of rare tree species. When, in 1858, the residence and the surrounding lands were purchased by Anna Maria of Savoy, wife of Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria, the architectural structures and the park underwent a new intervention, which was handled by Francesco Bortolami. To the main facade, now facing the main road, a balcony, a pediment, and a small belvedere tower were added, and some renovation works also affected the lateral wings. The new owner, giving the villa its Imperial name, also wanted the construction of a chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Mary, even though the western barn already housed a private oratory. In the second half of the last century, the complex, purchased by INPS, underwent a decisive change in functional destination and was converted into a hospital, while the garden was partly stripped of its original appearance. Today, the exteriors appear to be in fair condition, unlike the interiors, which have been repeatedly transformed in their layout and finishes.