Terme and Euganean Hills

SAN PELAGIO CASTLE
The imposing crenellated tower was built in the 14th century at the behest of the Da Carrara family, lords of Padua. In 1752, the Counts Zaborra acquired the property, expanded the complex by creating the agricultural outbuildings, and modernized the main wing to adapt it as a noble residence. From here, on August 9, 1918, poet Gabriele d'Annunzio embarked on his insane Flight to Vienna, where he carried out his famous exploits. In the d'Annunzio rooms, everything has returned to how it was then. Other areas host a unique Museum in Europe that traces the fascinating history of flight with immersive multimedia islands that make the visit an emotional experience... here is the charm of this unparalleled Place!

FLIGHT MUSEUM
Inaugurated on September 20, 1980, it is developed in the two wings of San Pelagio Castle, the noble and the rustic. Through thematic sections, it retraces the main milestones in the evolution of the means that have led mankind to discover the sky and space. In the ancient granaries, cellars, and residential rooms of the Zaborra Family, stories of mythical flights, visionary scientists, balloons, airships, airplanes, seaplanes, and spacecraft are told.

D'ANNUNZIO ROOMS
In the summer of 1917, the Zaborra family signed a rental agreement with the Italian army for the establishment of an airfield and the occupation of part of the villa. The apartments on the first floor became the residence of Major Gabriele d'Annunzio. The Rooms, restored according to archival sources, are now open to visitors. They house mementos of the poet-soldier’s life and flight, along with the furnishings of the Zaborra family.

ROSE AND LABYRINTH PARK
A three-hectare park, included in the circuit of the Great Italian Gardens. In April, the wisteria blooms, and in May, the scent of a thousand roses: the Representative Garden between the two wings of the villa, the Secret Garden and its treasures, the Brolo, the Ice House, the Labyrinths, the avenue of century-old hornbeams, and the romantic pond,

From “Venetian Villas: The Province of Padua,” Marsilio 2001, edited by the Regional Institute for Venetian Villas:

On the area overlooking the valley, there also stands a dovecote tower, a transformation of a building certainly used for defensive monitoring, and not far away is Ca’ Morosini, built on the site of a monastic building. (...) the villa, the dovecote, the stable, and the farmer's dwelling, all located within the property, do not present a geometrically organized structure in the traditional “shape” of the Venetian villa, suggesting that originally Villa Ferrian was an ancient house-tower connected to the defensive system of the castles of Boccon (...) and Castelnuovo: the dating of the first structure can therefore be attributed to the 11th century. In “Euganean Hills – The Places of Rural Life,” Editoriale Programma 2009, with the sponsorship of the Regional Park of the Euganean Hills, architect Piera Treu highlights the location, solidity, and strength of the structure.

Excellences of the villa:The interest aroused by Villa Ferrian is certainly increased by the ensemble of buildings that enclose its courtyard: three buildings intended for residence, one once used for the shelter of animals, and the dovecote tower. A particular attraction is expressed by the historic well, once used not only by the residences that overlooked the courtyard but also by other residents of the hamlet. The water extraction mouths are singular: one, with the usual shape of a wellhead surmounted by the beam from which the pulley was suspended, the other, usable from the courtyard level, and another, usable from the lawn at the foot of the large retaining wall, consisting of a charming portal in stone and brick that pierces the well shaft. The view towards the towns of the Berici Hills is wide.

Excellences of the context:Villa Ferrian is located within the Regional Park of the Euganean Hills, which the European Community has classified as a Site of Community Interest and a Special Protection Area for fauna and flora. The natural excellence of the area is enhanced by the cycling ring of the Euganean Hills that winds at the foot of Zovon. The area was appreciated by many Venetian patrician families, as evidenced by the various sumptuous holiday residences they built starting from the 15th century until the decline of the Serenissima. In the municipality of VO', many other ancient villas can be found. Numerous wineries offer tastings of wines and other typical products made on-site.

Palace-castle whose name is shrouded in many legends, seen from afar it can resemble Eastern fantasies, with its rhythm of terraces and unusual sculptures. Built in 1570 by Marquis Pio Enea degli Obizzi on a pre-existing hunting lodge. The Obizzi, captains of fortune originally from Burgundy, arrived in Italy following Emperor Henry II in 1007: they served Lucca, then Venice, for which Pio Enea fought, from whom we take the invention of the howitzer (= Obizzi). In the noble floor's halls, Giovan Battista Zelotti, a student of Veronese, frescoed in the second half of the 16th century the stories of the family, tracing its historical development in service to various cities and lords (room of Venice, of Lucca, of the pope, etc.), while Pio Enea II in the 17th century made Catajo an important artistic center, with the construction of a theater with sixteen boxes where his works were performed. It was home to important artistic collections (armory, archaeological gallery, library, numismatic cabinet, etc.), particularly enriched by Tommaso, the last marquis of the house who built the museum, a wing of the castle 73 meters long in which the archaeological collections were organized. Dying in the early 19th century, he left everything in inheritance to the last heir of the Este family and then to the Habsburgs, who had one of their summer castles here: they are responsible for the construction of the cubic building towards the mountain to accommodate the court.