HIDDEN TREASURES

The Garden of Carlo Scarpa in the Querini Stampalia Fondation in Venice

In the heart of Venice, in the Castello district, is located one of the most beautiful and interesting museums: the Querini Stampalia Fondation. In this museum - the only Venetian palace which survived the end of the Republic - you can admire one of the most beautiful gardens of Venice, designed by the famous architect Carlo Scarpa. The project was part of an overall restoration in 1949 on the ground floor of the palace, which was often invaded by floods. The garden, in the 1800s was even used as a barn until it became the central focus of the new exhibition areas. The restoration by Carlo Scarpa was based on a combination of new and old features and his great skill in the use of materials. He mainly used water as a central decorative element, which in fact came from the canal that overlooks the building, and entered the building through bulkheads that run along the interior walls to reach a large tank layered with copper, concrete and mosaic and a small canal at the ends of which there are two labyrinths carved in alabaster and Istria stone. On the wall you can see a mosaic weaving in Murano glass, designed by Mario de Luigi. The Querini Stampalia Foundation is a museum as much rare as little known. Not yet affected from mass tourism, it offers an harmonious dialogue between ancient and contemporary art and architecture: a house museum of the rich and powerful Querini Family - considered one of the best preserved all over Europe, a library with more than 350,000 books and a design café hosted in the spaces redesigned by Mario Botta overlooking Carlo Scarpa's garden... The Querini Stampalia is a unique experience that will fulfill the expectations even of the most demanding visitor!