Vescovana: Villa, Garden and Sacred Art

Vescovana combines Villa Pisani Bolognesi Scalabrin, a historic garden and several sacred sites. The villa offers daily guided tours of the villa and garden.

Villa Pisani and its Eventful History

Villa Pisani Bolognesi Scalabrin was built in the first half of the 16th century on behalf of Cardinal Francesco Pisani. It served as the administrative headquarters for the estates in the Bassa Padovana, which the family had acquired in 1478. Its history spans a medieval farmstead, a Renaissance palace and a 19th-century cultural salon.

The complex includes an elongated main building with covered barchesse, a dovecote and a stable. The park also contains the family chapel, an important example of Elizabethan Gothic Revival style. Antonio Gradenigo built it in 1860 based on a design by Pietro Selvatico Estense. The villa was also connected with the Veneto tourism project, which comprised 136 villas. The villa is associated with a bed and breakfast at Via Roma 19/25 in Vescovana.

Historic Garden with Unusual Stylistic Influences

The large formal garden of Villa Pisani Bolognesi Scalabrin offers its own perspective on the history of the estate. Its redesign began in 1852, when Evelina van Millingen came to Vescovana and began creating her “Crispin de Passe” garden. The historic garden combines Victorian English taste with the tradition of the Italian garden and with elements reminiscent of Islamic gardens.

A viewing terrace was created on the piano nobile of the villa to allow the garden to be seen from above. The garden also contains centuries-old and monumental plants, including non-native species. The combination of architectural perspective, formal design and diverse planting makes the park an important part of the visitor experience rather than merely an addition to the villa.

Churches and Sacred Art in Vescovana

The Church of San Giovanni Battista also shapes Vescovana’s cultural character. It was built at the end of the 16th century to replace an earlier place of worship and was rebuilt several times over the following centuries. The church includes the Oratory of the Madonna di Loreto. Next to it is the chapel of the S. Casa di Loreto, which contains frescoes by Jacopo Marieschi depicting a Madonna and Child, female saints and angels.

In Vescovana, the Oratorio della Presentazione della Beata Vergine Maria is also assigned to the San Giovanni Battista parish district.

Holiday Apartment in Vescovana Between Culture and Village Life

The local events calendar included the Festa dell’Oca, held as a village festival in Vescovana from 26 August to 2 September 2025. The programme included the Grande Gioco dell’Oca, a market and a charity raffle. The Villa’s park also contains the Teatro dell’800.

Further destinations: Torreglia, Trebaseleghe, Ospedaletto Euganeo, Loreggia, Agna, Villanova Di Camposampiero, Curtarolo, Galzignano Terme.

To the main travel overview: Padua.