Well-heeled Venetians wouldn’t have dreamed of decamping to the Brenta without their favourite cobblers, sparking a local tradition of shoemaking. Today, 538 companies produce around 19 million pairs of shoes annually. Their lasting contribution is celebrated with a Shoemakers’ Museum at this 18th-century villa, its collection including 18th-century slippers and kicks created for trendsetter Marlene Dietrich. Admission includes access to the villa's 17th-century foresteria (guesthouse), which wows with allegorical frescoes by Pietro Liberi and trompe l'œil effects by Domenico de Bruni.
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions
16.29 MILES
With a profusion of domes and more than 8000 sq metres of luminous mosaics, Venice's cathedral is unforgettable. It was founded in the 9th century to…
16.31 MILES
Holding pride of place on the waterfront, this pretty Gothic confection may be an unlikely setting for the political and administrative seat of a great…
6.19 MILES
Padua's version of the Sistine Chapel, the Cappella degli Scrovegni houses one of Italy's great Renaissance masterpieces – a striking cycle of Giotto…
15.7 MILES
Venice's historic gallery traces the development of Venetian art from the 14th to 19th centuries, with works by all of the city's artistic superstars. The…
15.77 MILES
In medieval times this part of Cannaregio housed a getto (foundry), but it was as the designated Jewish quarter from the 16th to 19th centuries that the…
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
16.02 MILES
Baldassare Longhena's magnificent basilica is prominently positioned near the entrance to the Grand Canal, its white stones, exuberant statuary and high…
15.63 MILES
Baroque dreams come true at this Baldassare Longhena–designed Grand Canal palazzo (mansion), where a marble staircase leads to a vast gilded ballroom and…
15.86 MILES
After losing her father on the Titanic, heiress Peggy Guggenheim became one of the great collectors of the 20th century. Her palatial canalside home,…
Nearby The Veneto attractions
0.28 MILES
To keep hard-partying Venetian nobles in line, Doge Alvise Pisani provided a Versailles-like reminder of who was in charge. The 1774, 114-room Villa…
6.15 MILES
Padua’s Museum of Medical History is a fascinating mash-up of historical artefacts and high-tech exhibits that detail the city’s outsized contribution to…
3. Musei Civici agli Eremitani
6.16 MILES
The ground floor of this monastery houses artefacts dating from Padua’s Roman and pre-Roman past, including some delicate glass, serviceable Roman…
6.16 MILES
A pilgrimage site and the burial place of St Anthony of Padua (1193–1231), this huge church was begun in 1232, its polyglot style incorporating rising…
6.18 MILES
Planted in 1545 by Padua University’s medical faculty to study the medicinal properties of rare plants, Padua’s World Heritage–listed Orto Botanico is the…
6.18 MILES
When a 1944 bombing raid demolished the extraordinary 1448–57 frescoes by Andrea Mantegna in the Capella Overtari in the Chiesa degli Eremitani, the loss…
7. Oratorio di San Giorgio & Scuola del Santo
6.18 MILES
Anywhere else, the fresco cycle of the Oratorio di San Giorgio and the paintings in the Scuola del Santo would be considered highlights, but in Padua they…
6.19 MILES
Gracing Piazza del Santo, Donatello's majestic bronze equestrian statue dates back to 1453. On horseback is Erasmo da Narni (nicknamed Gattamelata), a…