Jacopo Marcello, the Captain who shouldn’t have died

Ca’ Marcello in Piombino Dese, Italy is a beautiful eighteenth-century Venetian villa still inhabited today by the Marcello Counts, a noble Venetian family with a thousand-year-long history.

The Marcello family has very ancient origins: legend has it that the founder is Marco Claudio Marcello, a commander of the Roman Empire, winner of Hannibal and adoptive son of the Emperor Octavianus Augustus.

Legend aside, documents testify that on December 20th 982, so more than a thousand years ago, Pietro and Domenico Marcello were among the major signers of the act of donation of the island of San Giorgio to the Benedictine order, the event that marked the foundation of the city of Venice.

From that moment onwards, the Marcello family continued to acquire more and more importance in the social, cultural and political life of Venice, so much so that they were included in the famous 'Serrata del Maggior Consiglio' of 1297 and became one of the most powerful aristocratic families who could aspire to the highest political and institutional offices of the Serenissima.

Among the members of this millennial lineage there are two Doges, numerous humanists and famous admirals, called 'Capitani da Mar'.

This includes Jacopo Marcello, a well-liked and charismatic admiral who, thanks to the ascendancy he had on his troops, led the Venetian fleet on many victorious undertakings. His stature was such that when he died - hit by a bombard in 1484 during the conquering of Gallipolli - it was decided that he couldn’t die then, because that would have discouraged the army. His lifeless body was held up with spades on the bridge of command at the head of the army, to ensure that the troops did not notice anything and continued to fight until the victory, that came after 3 long assaults and many hours of siege.

Today, you can have the unique chance to listen to Count Jacopo Marcello, descendant of his namesake ancestor, tell you this and other stories related to the history of Venice, the villa and its territory. By participating in our Chic-nic at Ca’ Marcello, Count Vettor and Count Jacopo will welcome you as their personal guests : they will open the doors of the villa and the millennial deeds of their family !