Palazzo Ponte Piccolo
Conservation restoration of Palazzo Ponte Piccolo
Place
Venice (VE), Italy
Client
Cloister srl
Period
2022 - ongoing
Partners
Teresa Sapey & Partners, Studio Apostoli, Climosfera S.r.l.
Amount
€ 11.000.000
The conservative restoration project with change of use concerning the compendium Ex “Istituto delle Figlie della Carità Cannossiane”, composed of seven building units and located in fondamenta Ponte Piccolo alla Giudecca, consists in the transformation of the complex into eight prestigious residential units. The compendium, which faces the Giudecca canal overlooking the San Marco basin, will consist of eight flats of various sizes, a private condominium garden with an outdoor swimming pool, and a private wellness area.
The complex consists of several adjacent buildings that communicate both internally and externally through a courtyard with a garden. The oldest building is the one overlooking the Giudecca Canal and Rio Piccolo, and it is possible to assume, thanks to the presence of two Gothic windows on the west elevation, that the construction dates back to around the 15th century. The façade on the foundation, for stylistic reasons, is assumed to date back to the 17th century. The second building (Building B) is probably later, but also pre-19th century.
- Feasibility study
- Final project
- Executive design
- Site management and safety coordination
In the summaries of the Austrian Cadastre, censo stabile 1840-1845, the main building is referred to as ‘houses with workshops’.
The development of the complex with the construction of the two new buildings took place later and can be deduced both from the historical memories of the House and from the cartography of the Austro- Italic Cadastre, censo stabile 1845-1929. The historical memories in
the archives of the Canossian Sisters of Padua show the desire of the Patriarch of Venice, Cavallari, 1904-1914, to create a Canossian House at Giudecca: “For the spiritual benefit of the female sex of that island”. Thanks to Antonia Vinello’s bequest, the order acquired the building.
Thanks to the bequest of Antonia Vinello, the order acquired the building at Ponte Piccolo in 1908, and the following year opened the Casa Canossiana on Giudecca. It was, at the time, an important event; the chronicles of the period state: “On February 3, 1910, the inauguration of the House and the blessing of the Chapel took place. His Eminence Cardinal Cavallari celebrated Holy Mass in the new Chapel.” The complex was expanded with two buildings overlooking the garden, and since 1991, it has been transformed into a youth hostel. The historic core has undergone significant transformation and has been stripped of historical elements. Currently, the complex has been abandoned since 2003.
