Villa Contarini Giovanelli Venier, in the heart of Vo’ at the foot of the Euganean Hills, represents one of the most complex examples of Venetian villa in terms of architecture, urban planning, and historical memory. The original nucleus, developed between the 16th and 17th centuries by the Contarini family, is configured as a “tall palace” with a strong vertical development, featuring a tripartite square plan, overlapping central halls, and a rigorous hierarchy of floors. The southern facade is marked by the overlapping of classical orders (Tuscan, Ionic, and Corinthian), while the scenic external staircase and sculptural decorations emphasize its monumental character.
In the 17th century, the complex expanded with an oratory, tavern, and marketplace, giving rise to a real urban center with a river port and commercial activities. Between 1624 and 1642, the barchesse were added with a divergent layout, organized around an Italian garden and intended for agricultural and productive functions. During the same period, the oratory of San Lorenzo was also built, which later evolved into the current chapel of Sant'Anna and the church of San Lorenzo, referred to as “magnifice constructum” by Bishop Gregorio Barbarigo in 1670.
In the 19th century, the villa was profoundly altered by Maria Giovanelli Venier, who introduced the “bovolo” staircase designed by Meduna and transformed the interiors into an elegant holiday residence with neo-Baroque and neo-Rococo decorations. In the 20th century, the complex went through crucial phases: in 1927, it passed to Gino Bonazzi and then to the painter Mario Pozzati, father of Concetto Pozzati, a central figure in contemporary art. It later became the property of Sirio Landini and, in 1943, was used as a refuge for evacuees by the Elisabethan Sisters.
During World War II, the villa was requisitioned by the Republic of Salò and transformed into a concentration camp for Jews from the provinces of Padua and Rovigo: between 1943 and 1944, up to seventy people were interned there, later deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Only three would survive. In 2001, a memorial plaque was placed with the names of the victims.
After the war, the complex was transferred to the Municipality of Vo’, which allocated the spaces for public and educational use. An important restoration completed in 2012 has returned the villa for cultural enjoyment: the noble floor hosts the Museum of Landscape, the second floor temporary exhibitions, while the ground floor is now the Place of Memory of the Shoah, dedicated to historical and civil reflection.
