In the Veneto region, over 30 places to discover during the FAI Autumn Days 2025.
In the city, the FAI Delegation of Padua and the FAI Youth Group propose the special opening of the Soprintendenza’s Depository, located in the Arcella district, which can only be visited on Friday. The building, constructed in 1935 by engineer Gino Briani as a Casa del Fascio and later transformed into a depository and restoration laboratory, is one of the few examples of rationalist architecture in the city. Inside, it houses detached frescoes, plaques, and inscriptions from churches and monuments in Padua that were destroyed by bombing or demolished in the post-war period. A Romanesque palace in the heart of the historic center, overlooking Piazza Insurrezione, is the only surviving testimony of the ancient Santa Lucia district. It was built between the 13th and 16th centuries, probably as a noble residence, later transformed into a hotel and then an inn. At the end of the visit, as part of the FAI Bridge between Cultures project, a storyteller will offer reflections on the House of the Angel, connecting it to their personal experience and to universal values such as knowledge, hospitality, and urban transformation.
Also exceptionally open is Palazzo Pisani De Lazara, now home to the Istituto Maria Ausiliatrice, along the Riviera San Benedetto and overlooking the canal. Built in 1783 at the behest of Pietro Vettor Pisani and designed by the young Venetian architect Giannantonio Selva, it is considered the first example of neoclassical architecture in the city and among the first in Italy. Inside, it preserves frescoes by Pietro Antonio Novelli, with the grand hall dedicated to the heroes of Roman history, while outside extends a rare 18th-century English-style park with centuries-old trees. Normally not open to visitors, the palace will be accessible during the FAI Autumn Days, offering the chance to discover a residence that intertwines art, history, and nature, an authentic manifesto of neoclassical taste in Padua.
Info: https://fondoambiente.it/il-fai/grandi-campagne/giornate-fai-autunno/
