Noventa Padovana
Noventa Padovana is a town of around 11,000 people on the eastern edge of Padua, along the Piovego canal that links the provincial...
Updated 13 July 2026
The story
The story of Noventa Padovana
History and origins
The history of Noventa Padovana is closely tied to that of Villa Giovanelli, built at the end of the seventeenth century by commission of the Patriarch of Venice Giovanni Maria Giovanelli. In the nineteenth century Federico Maria Giovanelli, also elected Patriarch of Venice, granted the property for use by the patriarchate and other religious institutions, while during the twentieth century the villa lived through both world wars, becoming the seat of a general command during the first conflict and a military hospital and shelter for displaced people during the second. This history has made the villa the historical symbol and identity of the town.
Villa Giovanelli Colonna
Overlooking the Piovego canal, Villa Giovanelli Colonna is considered one of the most important examples of seventeenth-century Baroque Venetian villas, a witness to an architectural renewal that continued with an extensive decorative programme in the first half of the eighteenth century. The main façade features a pronaos with pediments and columns inspired by Palladio, while the grand staircase was designed in 1738 by the architect Giorgio Massari, the same architect behind Villa Cordellina in Montecchio Maggiore, on the occasion of the passage of Princess Maria Amalia of Poland en route to Naples for her wedding to the future King Charles of Bourbon.
The Piovego canal and the water landscape
The Piovego canal, which runs through Noventa Padovana, was for centuries a strategic waterway between Padua and the lagoon, used to carry goods and people toward Venice. Even today its banks offer striking views, with the villa reflected in the water, and provide an ideal route for a walk or bike ride amid the greenery and historic architecture along the canal.
Local life and economy
Noventa Padovana is today an essentially residential town, integrated into the metropolitan area of Padua, with an economy based on services and small businesses rather than an agriculture that is now marginal. Its identity nevertheless remains strongly tied to the historical heritage of the villa and the canal, elements the town has chosen as its own symbols.
How to get there and location
Noventa Padovana borders directly on Padua, of which it effectively represents an eastward extension, toward the Riviera del Brenta and Venice. Its location makes it easily reachable on foot or by bicycle from the centre of Padua, and it is a natural waypoint for those following the Venetian villas route along the Brenta toward the lagoon.
Experiences not to miss
- Admire Villa Giovanelli Colonna and its eighteenth-century staircase by Giorgio Massari
- Stroll along the Piovego canal amid waterside views and historic architecture
- Start from Noventa Padovana on the Venetian villas route toward the Riviera del Brenta
- Reach the centre of Padua on foot or by bike in just a few minutes
- Learn about the Venetian patriarchate's history linked to the villa
- Visit Noventa Padovana as a slow-travel stop between city and countryside
To see
What to see in Noventa Padovana
Routes · Trovido Route
Routes in Noventa Padovana
Jobs · JobFlow
