Venice: restored Palazzo Zaguri, historic home of Giacomo Casanova

In Venice, Palazzo Zaguri, the historic home of Casanova near St. Mark’s Square, has been rstaurated. After two years of restoration and with a dressing of 5 million euros, the palace will become an exhibition venue, as well as a bookstore of the Ubik circuit that will guarantee the availability of more than 150000 titles both Italian and foreign.

A use with an all-cultural character developed in the 36 rooms distributed on the 5 floors, which would surely have been appreciated by the cultured Pietro I Antonio Zaguri (Venice, January 28, 1733 - Padua, March 22, 1806), former owner of the property to which his family gave its name, as well as a trusted friend and patron of the libertine scholar Giacomo Casanova, who was a guest in the historic palace and with whom he maintained a close correspondence.
The last Zaguri heir to own the palace was Pietro II Marco, who died in 1810. A few years later the building passed into the ownership of the Congregation of Vicenza and the nobleman Fini. Between 1905 and 1909 the City of Venice purchased its first and second floors to establish a girls’ school there. From 1962 to 1965 the Sanudo Middle School, which was based in S. Aponal and renamed Dante Alighieri, moved to Palazzo Zaguri until 1983 and then was reused as a municipal office building. The building was then abandoned until October 2006 when the municipal administration of Ca’ Farsetti put it up for auction by selling it for 10.63 million euros to a Milanese real estate company, which in turn sold it six years later for 15 million euros to a Verona-based trust that is the current owner.

Structural surveys had begun in 2013 and work began in 2015, and on March 29, 2018, a presentation will be held at the varnishing of the first exhibition titled “Venice Secrets: Crime & Justice” set up in the historic venue.
Mauro Rigoni, sole director of Venice Exhibition srl a Europe-wide promoter of cultural events, said, "I particularly thank the owners, architect Alberto Torsello, the Superintendency and the city administration, and all the partners who have contributed to the valuable enhancement of Palazzo Zaguri by transforming the Gothic building into a magnificent exhibition facility that will provide work, at full capacity, to 20 operators all residing in the historic center of Venice. As a grand opening event, we will set up an exhibition focused on the Serenissima and its history, which stands as a high social impact initiative to promote the history of the Republic of Venice by offering a historical immersion in the atmosphere of its criminal justice system. Right from the first historical exhibition, which will be open to the public on March 31, the recently restored Palazzo Zaguri will result in a redevelopment of the urban fabric of the entire area thanks to the kind of induced activity generated that perfectly complements the desire to enhance the city of Venice and Venetians."

Photo credit: Didier Descouens

Venice: restored Palazzo Zaguri, historic home of Giacomo Casanova

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