Dining room
Villa Pisani, Stra, Venice 

Villa Pisani, the ’Versailles of the Veneto’, was built by the Pisani family in the early 18th century, to celebrate the election of Alvise Pisani as the 114^th Doge of the Venetian Republic. The architecture could be described as neo-Palladian. In 1761 the Pisani commissioned Giambattista Tiepolo to paint The Apotheosis of the Pisani family, which decorates the ballroom. Most of the rooms still have the original furniture and decorations. The villa is surrounded by a 18th century park with pavilions, a big maze, ponds, orangeries and winter gardens. In 1807 the villa was acquired by Napoleon; it was then owned in turn by Emperors of Austria and then by the Kings of Italy and eventually was bought by the Italian state. The room had not been used since the early 20th century, and had been stripped of its original objects, which were held in the villa’s storerooms. After an inspection of the inventories, it was possible to trace and restore all of the original furnishings and fittings, such as the Antonibon porcelain from Nove, the lacquered cupboards, the chairs, the crystal, the Murano glass and the Neoclassical marble center piece. The walls, ceiling and Venetian flooring were all restored and new curtains similar to the original ones were added. In addition, alarm systems and lighting were installed.