Dating from the first half of the sixteenth century, Ca’ Marcello is one of the most splendid examples of a Palladian-style Veneto villa which is still lived in by the aristocratic Venetian family who had it built: the Marcello.
The villa was enlarged and decorated around the middle of the eighteenth century, at a time which saw work on the front facade and the barchesse [long outbuildings typical of a Veneto villa ]; probably to designs by the architect Francesco Maria Preti. Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the Villa passed to other owners, including the Maruzzi family and the renovations took place in that period. The walls of the ballroom are decorated with frescoes by Giambattista Crosato depicting the feats of Alexander the Great; on the ceiling is a fresco of Olympus and Allegories of the Arts. The various rooms still contain period furniture and are decorated with fine stucco work whose subject matter includes: mountain landscapes; imaginary animals; circus scenes; allegories of the Virtues. Nowadays one can visit the villa and its age-old park, which are still lovingly cared for by the Marcello family. During your visit to the villa, you will see numerous portraits of their famous ancestors: Doge Niccolò Marcello; various members of the family who were Venetian Admirals or Procurators of the Venetian Republic; and, of course, the well-known composer Benedetto Marcello. So, whilst admiring the villa, you get a glimpse into the past of a family that played such a part in the history of the Serenissima.
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