Museo Nazionale di Villa Pisani
Large Venetian villa of the Pisani family at Stra, with 114 rooms, Tiepolo's ceiling in the Sala da Ballo and a monumental park with a maze.
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About the museum
The villa was built by the Pisani di Santo Stefano, a branch of an ancient Venetian patrician family that grew rich in the 14th century through trade and property income. The 18th century was their golden age: Alvise Pisani, ambassador at the court of the Sun King, was elected doge in 1735. After the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797, and because of debts, the family had to sell the villa to Napoleon Bonaparte on 11 January 1807, for 1,901,000 Venetian lire.
Napoleon gave it to his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais, viceroy of Italy, who had many rooms and part of the park modernised. From 1814 the villa passed to the Habsburgs, rulers of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, and became the favourite summer residence of the Empress of Austria; it hosted sovereigns such as Charles IV of Spain, Tsar Alexander I, Ferdinand II of Naples and Otto of Greece. Court life ended in 1866 with the annexation of Veneto to Italy: the villa became state property and was no longer inhabited, and in 1884 it was opened as a museum.
Today the national museum preserves, in its 114 rooms, furnishings and works of art of the 18th and 19th centuries, including Giambattista Tiepolo's masterpiece “Gloria della famiglia Pisani”, frescoed on the ceiling of the Sala da Ballo. The villa has a monumental park which, due to damage from bad weather and safety works, has now reopened only in part.
Highlights
- Gloria della famiglia Pisani by Giambattista Tiepolo on the ceiling of the Sala da Ballo
- Piano nobile with furnishings and works of art of the 18th and 19th centuries
- 114 rooms that hosted doges, kings and emperors
- Monumental park with maze, orangeries and greenhouses (partially open)
- Founded
- 1884
- Operated by
- Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Veneto (Ministero della Cultura)
- Visitors per year
- approx. 125,624
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €11 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €8holders of the Area Arte Card, members of the Associazione Amici del Gradenigo and residents of the municipalities of the Unione Riviera del Brenta and Terra del Tiepolo, as well as those entitled by agreement or by law |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission for under-18s. |
| Students & apprentices | €2Reduced rate from 18 to 25 years. |
Free admission: Every first Sunday of the month for all visitors.
The rates shown apply from October 2026 (until 30 September 2026: standard €9, reduced €6). The Villa ticket includes the courtyards and portico, the piano nobile with the Sala del Tiepolo and the temporary exhibition. The park ticket is temporarily suspended until the monumental park reopens. Also free for holders of the Venetian Heritage Membership Card (valid for two people). The piano nobile must be visited before the park.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Access for people with disabilities is guaranteed to the piano nobile by lift and to the park by a ramp. The visit to the piano nobile follows a fixed route.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
- Lockers
Lockers at the ticket office for backpacks and bulky items. The Museum Café is temporarily closed.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
The museum offers exhibition spaces and paid rental of spaces, to be requested by e-mail from the museum management.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Booking is compulsory for guided visits by groups and school groups (Musei Italiani portal); maximum group size 30 people plus a guide, with slots every 10 minutes and a maximum of 180 visitors at the same time. Small dogs are admitted to the piano nobile only in a carrier; in the park, dogs of any size are admitted on a leash no longer than 1.5 m. Educational activities and workshops on request. |
