Giornata delle Ville Venete 2026
Three experiences, Saturday 17 October
Yoga in the walled garden at 11 · Guided tour of the courtyard at 4 pm · Two nights in the villa on the 17th and 18th
Once a year the Venetian Villas open their gates, and for one day this house lets itself be told. This year we are offering three experiences, different from one another and independent: you may join just one — the guided tour, for instance — without taking part in the others. Guests staying at the villa find all three included in their stay, within arrival and departure times.
At 11 · «Rigenerarsi sopra la Sorgente» · Yoga in the walled garden
An hour of hatha yoga on the lawn of the walled garden, beside the outdoor pool at 31 degrees. Around you, the silence of a seventeenth-century courtyard; below you, the hottest hyperthermal spring ever found in the province of Verona. It is led by Elena, a teacher at the Hotel Boffenigo – The Golden Hour in Costermano del Garda, a four-star superior hotel belonging to the same family, who brings her work here for a day.
No experience is needed: the practice suits those who have never tried it, and it can be followed seated. The villa provides the mat; just bring a towel. Afterwards, a hot herbal tea in the relaxation room on the ground floor.
There are twelve places and booking is required: write to info@villapadovani.it. In fine weather the class is held in the walled garden, by the pool; if the weather does not allow it, in the relaxation room on the ground floor. Elena decides on the morning itself.
At 4 pm · «Zanzoche non si riposi mai» · Guided tour of the courtyard
The tour is led by Dr Fabio Salandini, who has written about this courtyard: with Michele Marafioti he is the co-author of the historical research on Piovezzano published in 2019 under the title «Zanzoche non si riposi mai» — that motto of 1792, which we have taken as our own.
Free admission, no booking and no limit on numbers. We set off at 4 pm sharp: please be punctual. The tour takes place in any weather; the route is almost entirely outdoors, so in case of rain an umbrella is advisable.
The route
It begins with the documents. A deed of 26 April 1672 describes this property «da patron e da lavorente, con horti, broleto, corte e pozzo» — with gardens, orchard, courtyard and well: it is the enclosed courtyard you will walk through, and in the sixteenth century it was in all likelihood already inhabited by the Orci family. Above one gateway the Carminati coat of arms of 1692 remains. The oratory dates from 1778, and in 1794 Doge Ludovico Manin authorised public worship there.
Then comes July 1796, when General Masséna chose this courtyard as his headquarters: on the 17th of July eighty-four people dined here, and in the evening they danced — «in token of peace», the records say. And there is the recent history, that of Remo Padovani, who restored the villa from 2001 and in 2003 found, two hundred and twenty metres beneath the garden, a spring at 52.9 degrees: the hottest ever found in the province of Verona.
The restoration earned the house the Premio Villa Veneta in 2018 and the five-lion classification, the highest awarded by the Veneto Region.
«Il silenzio dopo le voci» · Two nights in the villa
On the 17th and 18th the villa opens to everyone; in the evening the gate closes and twenty people remain. Those who stay have the courtyard when no one is there: the same stones, the same walled garden, without voices.
And they can enter the water, not merely look at it: the waters of the house are at the disposal of those who sleep here — the outdoor pool at 31 °C, the one carved out of the old wine cellar at 33 °C, the whirlpool at 35 °C, the sauna and the steam room.
Two nights, not one. You need an evening to notice the silence and a morning to understand where the warmth of the water comes from. Ten suites, never more than twenty guests, adults only: the house never fills up, and you can feel it.
Included: breakfast with Laura’s cakes, made with fruit from the walled garden and served from 8 to 10:30, the honesty bar and parking. Two options, both of two nights: arrival on Friday the 16th or Saturday the 17th. The dedicated rate is reserved for those who book on this site.
Practical information
Where · Villa Padovani, via Piovezzano Vecchia 48, Piovezzano di Pastrengo (Verona).
Parking · Guests staying at the villa have free parking inside. For those coming only for the tour or the yoga class, there are no spaces in front of the villa: it is best to leave the car near the church of Piovezzano and reach the gate on foot.
Yoga in the walled garden · Saturday 17 October, 11:00–12:00, meeting at the gate at 10:50. From 4 to 12 participants. Booking required, by email to info@villapadovani.it. Cancellation until the day before: freeing a place allows someone else to come.
Guided tour · Saturday 17 October, 4 pm. Free admission, no booking required.
Two nights in the villa · Arrival on 16 or 17 October, check-in from 14:00 to 19:00, departure by 11:00. To book, click here.
Accessibility · The courtyard, the walled garden and the waters are on the ground floor, without stairs; the surface is old paving and grass, passable in a wheelchair with the help of a companion. Almost all the suites are reached by stairs: accessibility inside a Venetian Villa has structural limits.
Information · +39 045 4970891, every day 9–13 and 14–19 · info@villapadovani.it.
Ask us whatever you like
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