Villa Giovannelli Colonna, Baroque villa in Noventa Padovana, Italy

Villa Giovannelli Colonna is a Baroque country house in the Padua region featuring a dramatic entrance stairway and an open-sided portico with six statues positioned along its railings. The building displays classical proportions and multi-story design typical of grand residences from that period.

The Giovanelli family, originally from Bergamo, built the villa around 1668, the year Venice granted them patrician status after a donation of 100,000 ducats for the war against the Turks. Scholars attribute the design to Antonio Gaspari, a pupil of Baldassare Longhena. In 1738 Giorgio Massari added the grand front staircase for Maria Amalia of Poland, replacing the original three-arched loggia.

Frescoes and large canvases hang on the walls and ceilings, depicting religious and mythological scenes that were popular in that era. These artworks shape how the rooms feel and look today.

The villa stands in Noventa Padovana, a short distance east of Padua along the old route to Venice. It was bought by a trust in 2012 for about five million euros, and restoration work began in 2018, so parts of the building and grounds may be closed off. Check locally before travelling, as access depends on the restoration progress.

The statues on the stairway balustrade personify the five senses: Belvedere (sight), Odorato (smell), Tatto (touch), Udire (hearing) and Gusto (taste), watched over by La Ragione (Reason) at the top right. They were carved by Antonio Tarsia, Antonio Gai and the brothers Paolo and Giuseppe Groppelli.