The Fondazione Querini Stampalia is one of Venice’s most important cultural institutions and house museums, located in a 15th-century palazzo near Campo Santa Maria Formosa in the Castello district.
It was founded in 1869 by Count Giovanni Querini Stampalia, the last descendant of the noble Querini Stampalia family—one of the families said to have founded Venice. In his 1868 will, Count Giovanni bequeathed his entire palace, art collection, library, and medal collection to the city “for public use,” creating an institution dedicated to “promoting the cult of good studies and useful subjects” in art and knowledge. The foundation opened to the public in 1872, becoming one of the earliest public house museums in Europe, and Count Giovanni specifically stipulated that his library remain open even when other Venetian libraries were closed, including at midnight.
The foundation’s most celebrated architectural feature is the groundbreaking restoration and redesign of its ground floor and garden by Carlo Scarpa (1906–1978), one of Italy’s most influential 20th-century architects. Scarpa, a Venetian native who began his career designing art glass for Venini Glassworks in Murano before becoming an architect, was commissioned in 1949 to restore the palace’s flood-prone ground floor and rear garden. However, the project didn’t actually begin until 1959, and it was finally completed in 1963 under the foundation’s new director Giuseppe Mazzariol, who had been Scarpa’s former student at the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia.
Scarpa’s intervention was revolutionary because he chose not to fight against Venice’s water, but to integrate it into the architecture. Instead of isolating the building from floods as most architects would, he created a “hydraulic choreography” that allows water to enter and recede without damaging the structure, turning acqua alta into part of the visitor experience.You can see his 'limping' bridge above.
Interesting facts.
Scarpa is revered among architects for his thoughtful design even to the smallest details. However clients were left frustrated as he never met deadlines and would not answer calls while he would focus on design. what a guy!
