Palazzo Zacco al Prà

Palazzo Zacco al Prà is a beautiful palace in Padua, located on the western side of the square of Prato della Valle.

SHORT HISTORY

The construction of the building was begun on December 19, 1555, commissioned by Marco, an exponent of the Zacco family of Padua. The building was designed by Andrea Moroni, and probably incorporated some pre-existing buildings. The construction was completed in less than two years and, by 1557, the palace was already occupied by its owners.

The Zacco family resided in the palace until the early 1800s. One of the last major events that took place in the palace was the stay of the Austrian Emperor Francis II of Habsburg and his wife, Carolina Augusta of Bavaria.

On June 27, 1839, the last descendants of the historic owners sold the building to the Armenian Mekhitarist Congregation. Four years later, the palace became the Collegio Morat.

Later, the property was taken over by the municipality of Padua, which in 1904 ceded it to the Italian state. Palazzo Zacco was declared a building of artistic interest on April 24, 1925. Occupied by various Military Commands, Palazzo Zacco became the Padua headquarters of the Officer’s Club of the Italian Army in 1954.

ARCHITECTURE

On the ground floor, the palace has a portico with seven identical arches, the colonnade offering continuity to the surrounding buildings.

Above, the main floor has large windows enclosed by balconies – three central windows illuminate the lounge and the other four, paired, have between them the coat of arms of the Zacco family. The upper part, above the mezzanine windows, is crowned by a complex and suggestive game of lunettes and obelisks of various sizes and dimensions.

HOW TO GET THERE

Palazzo Zacco al Prà is located in Prato della Valle, about 2.3 kilometers away from the Padua railway station. The closest tram stop is Prato, about 350 meters away, on the tram Line SIR1. The closest bus stop is Prato Valle Ang. Belludi, on the bus Lines U03, U05, U11, U12, U13, U14, U16, U22 and U88.