Period villa built in the 18th Century by the "Principe Pio" household, located in the central area of the Municipality of Mira (VE), near the left bank of the Naviglio del Brenta canal. The property, of significant historical and architectural value, is subject to the restrictions set forth by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and of Tourism. Used in the past for public functions, the property lends itself to being used for residential purposes due to its characteristics and location.
The property, a classic example of Venetian patrician villa, consists in a tripartite manor house already registered in 1740 (according to architect Boschetti, the works had already ended in 1729). The villa, which follows the classic features of the Venetian house, with an entrance hall (“portego”) which serves the bedrooms and utility rooms to its sides, is laid out onto four floors, one of which a basement, for a total gross floor surface of 823 sqm; the property is completed by a private external area of 1,525 sqm to be used as garden, where a small structure hosts the central heating plant. Stuccoed door frames and other wall decorative elements can be found in the central hall, along with the fragment of fresco depicting “Apollo and the Muses”, possibly made by Bambini, relocated on the ceiling in 2009.
Purchased by the Province of Venice in 1925, the villa used to host the local Carabinieri Barracks as well as the headquarters of the Tourist Promotion Office. The property is free of tenants and objects following 2013’s return by the Municipality of Mira, who had it in concession to be used as a Riviera del Brenta-themed museum/didactic space.
The palace is subject to the rules set forth in Legislative Decree no. 42 of 22 January 2004 (Art. 10 and 12) and falls within an area subject to archaeological restrictions.
Villa Principe Pio is located in the Municipality of Mira (population 37,576), within the territory of the Metropolitan City of Venice (population 836,916), in Veneto Region. The property is located in a central area called “Mira Porte”, on the laft bank of the Naviglio canal, overlooking the Provincial road Naviglio Brenta and with access on via Don Minzoni, 26. The area is characterised by many historical buildings, mostly residential, and falls within the “Riviera del Brenta” landscape context; for this, the property is subject to specific protection provisions set forth by the Municipality’s town-planning tool (the main entrance, on via Don Minzoni, overlooks the canal). In the past, the Naviglio canal represented a very busy navigable river connection with the city of Padua on which banks the people of Venice began building lavish holiday palaces ever since 1405. The area is well-connected via public transport and can be easily accessed via private vehicles; all main services can be found in the vicinities. The Municipality of Mira sits 22 km away from Venice and 30 km from Padua (25 and 35 minutes by car, respectively). The motorway exit “Mira-Dolo-Oriano” of Venice’s bypass road is about 5 km away from the property (6 minutes by car) and allows for the access to the national highway system. Venice’s “Marco Polo” international airport is situated 25 km away from the area (approx. 40 minutes by car).