Villa Principe Pio

Magnificent patrician villa that also housed the eco museum.

Villa Principe Pio is located in Mira Porte on the left bank of the Naviglio del Brenta. Access to the ground floor, which is 1.20 meters above the road level, is via a staircase with two flights made of Istrian stone.

According to Baldan, the first records of this Villa date back to 1740, through a report to the tax authorities. From a precise chronological clarification provided by Boschetti, the works were certainly completed by 1729, as a finished building is outlined. The property is an authentic Venetian Patrician Villa with two above-ground floors, plus a basement and an attic. In the ceiling of the central hall was a fresco, Apollo and the Muses, attributed to Nicolò Bambini. In a print by Costa, its original state can be seen, which highlights the villa's uniqueness characterized by a slight projection throughout the central section. In the past, it also hosted the local Carabinieri Barracks and the headquarters of the Tourism Promotion Agency.

Villa Pio is now the site of an ecomuseum: the provincial administration of Mira has equipped the prestigious space of Villa Principe Pio as a permanent Educational-Museum path, to be offered to those interested in deepening their understanding of the cultural and environmental history of the territory of Mira and the Riviera del Brenta. The project also includes the setup of: - support spaces for museum activities such as a multimedia room, a thematic library, and a bookshop. - the organization, in the villa's garden, of naturalistic-scientific activities related to the Museum, as well as potential outdoor performance activities.
The Villa is owned by the municipality and is open for visits.

The villa was built in '700. The first document that testifies to the existence of the building is the map made by the scholar Boschetti in 1729. The first report to the IRS, according to historian Baldan, was made only in 1740. Thanks to the print made by Francesco Costa it is possible to observe the differences of the current building compared to the original Entire complex accessible by reservation.