1. The History
Villa Mocenigo Mainardi is located in the "Guazzi" district near Padua. It was built by the patrician family of the Mocenigo and was one of the most luxurious and important villas of Abano Terme. It hosted several famous figures including Carlo Goldoni, Giacomo Leopardi and Giacomo Casanova dure to the proximity of the spa which cures headaches. In 1752 Carlo Goldoni wrote the comedy "Bagni d'Abano" and in 1779 noblewoman Pisana Mocenigo hosted Giacomo Casanova, who was amazed by the walls of the palace "solidly in the grace of their majestic thickness." The complex occupies an area of 70 hectares in which there are 9 separate buildings including a small oratorio dedicated to Sant'Anna directly on the street. Villa Mocenigo Mainardi is at the centre of the property, with its long porches adjacent to it. In its prime it would have had manicured gardens, shady walks, flowerbeds, labyrinths, boxwood hedges, and ball-shaped bushes. The gate of the residence is made of wrought iron and is embellished by two Bonazza sculptures. The interior of the villa had Venetian floors, tailor pianos, paintings, nineteenth-century furniture, Murano fireplaces and chandeliers.
With the collapse of the Serenissima Republic of Venice (Trattato di Campoformio-1797), Villa Mocenigo passed to a Jewish family from Trieste. In 1938, the Sacerdoti family sold all their possessions, including the villa, after creating a collection centre for tobacco drying. The Villa began to decay with the onset of World War II when the Fascists entered the villa destroying, among other things, the library containing documents, reports, prints, lease and sale contracts, related to the Mocenigo and, Consequence, to the history of Abano Terme. In 1945 the bombing of a train loaded with ammunition that was nearby and subsequent explosion caused considerable damage for a few kilometers radius. In 1968 Commissioner Leonildo Mainardi purchased the villa and the annexed factories and began reconstruction and modernization work. This was never completed and the villa fell into disuse. Now the Villa is waiting for an important renovation to be brought back to its original splendour.
2. The Explore
An old archive report from a foreign holiday (remember them?) in Italy. Not sure why I didn't report this back at the time. This was actually a chance find. Returning back to base after exploring Villa Sgaravatti, a couple of miles away I went round a roundabout and got a chance view of this place through the gate. I immediately went round the roundabout again parked up and started to investigate. With a high wall down the right hand side, a railway line at the back and no obvious entry from the front the lane down the left hand side proved fruitful. So in I went. Didn’t have much time so headed straight for the house. The doors were wide open so in I popped. This place was by far the best nick of the villas I explored but pretty much empty inside. Nether-the-less a very enjoyable ‘chance’ explore! By the looks of some drone footage dated April 2020, the place looked still very much abandoned, however, a comment from Google Maps dated June 2020 indicates restoration has apparently started on the house.
3. The Pictures
What’s this?
i
Interesting!
Very interesting!
No way in here!
Small oratorio dedicated to Sant'Anna:
And we’re in and on the way to the house:
Up the steps to the house:
Wonder who that head is above the door
Pretty sparse inside:
Nice marble fireplace mind:
Mmm…that bathroom suite is going to need changing!
Here’s some of the extensive out-buildings:
Including this massive barn-like building:
Villa Mocenigo Mainardi is located in the "Guazzi" district near Padua. It was built by the patrician family of the Mocenigo and was one of the most luxurious and important villas of Abano Terme. It hosted several famous figures including Carlo Goldoni, Giacomo Leopardi and Giacomo Casanova dure to the proximity of the spa which cures headaches. In 1752 Carlo Goldoni wrote the comedy "Bagni d'Abano" and in 1779 noblewoman Pisana Mocenigo hosted Giacomo Casanova, who was amazed by the walls of the palace "solidly in the grace of their majestic thickness." The complex occupies an area of 70 hectares in which there are 9 separate buildings including a small oratorio dedicated to Sant'Anna directly on the street. Villa Mocenigo Mainardi is at the centre of the property, with its long porches adjacent to it. In its prime it would have had manicured gardens, shady walks, flowerbeds, labyrinths, boxwood hedges, and ball-shaped bushes. The gate of the residence is made of wrought iron and is embellished by two Bonazza sculptures. The interior of the villa had Venetian floors, tailor pianos, paintings, nineteenth-century furniture, Murano fireplaces and chandeliers.
With the collapse of the Serenissima Republic of Venice (Trattato di Campoformio-1797), Villa Mocenigo passed to a Jewish family from Trieste. In 1938, the Sacerdoti family sold all their possessions, including the villa, after creating a collection centre for tobacco drying. The Villa began to decay with the onset of World War II when the Fascists entered the villa destroying, among other things, the library containing documents, reports, prints, lease and sale contracts, related to the Mocenigo and, Consequence, to the history of Abano Terme. In 1945 the bombing of a train loaded with ammunition that was nearby and subsequent explosion caused considerable damage for a few kilometers radius. In 1968 Commissioner Leonildo Mainardi purchased the villa and the annexed factories and began reconstruction and modernization work. This was never completed and the villa fell into disuse. Now the Villa is waiting for an important renovation to be brought back to its original splendour.
2. The Explore
An old archive report from a foreign holiday (remember them?) in Italy. Not sure why I didn't report this back at the time. This was actually a chance find. Returning back to base after exploring Villa Sgaravatti, a couple of miles away I went round a roundabout and got a chance view of this place through the gate. I immediately went round the roundabout again parked up and started to investigate. With a high wall down the right hand side, a railway line at the back and no obvious entry from the front the lane down the left hand side proved fruitful. So in I went. Didn’t have much time so headed straight for the house. The doors were wide open so in I popped. This place was by far the best nick of the villas I explored but pretty much empty inside. Nether-the-less a very enjoyable ‘chance’ explore! By the looks of some drone footage dated April 2020, the place looked still very much abandoned, however, a comment from Google Maps dated June 2020 indicates restoration has apparently started on the house.
3. The Pictures
What’s this?
Interesting!
Very interesting!
No way in here!
Small oratorio dedicated to Sant'Anna:
And we’re in and on the way to the house:
Up the steps to the house:
Wonder who that head is above the door
Pretty sparse inside:
Nice marble fireplace mind:
Mmm…that bathroom suite is going to need changing!
Here’s some of the extensive out-buildings:
Including this massive barn-like building:
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