Villa Pisani in Stra, the most imposing, the largest and the most visited, called the "villa of villas".
Some very brief historical notes are obligatory: it was built on a pre-existing building to celebrate the glory of the Pisani family, especially when Alvise Pisani was elected Doge in 1735.
After the end of the Serenissima, it was owned by Napoleon; in 1814 the Austrians took over. When Venice joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1866, Victor Emmanuel II stayed there for a short time, and two years later it became state property. It has been a national museum since the late 1800s.
Countless important guests and visitors came from all over Europe: Tsar Alexander I of Russia, Gustav of Sweden, Maria Luigia of Parma and many others. In 1934, Hitler and Mussolini met here.
The magnificence of the villa is immediately apparent from the Baroque façade, with a central temple-like structure with a tympanum and Corinthian columns. Terraces and statues decorate the sides, which end with two buildings that recall the classical style of the central part.