SANTINI PALACE

This palace of probable Renaissance origin belonged in the nineteenth century to a prominent figure of the University of Padua, the astronomer Giovanni Santini, who entrusted its restoration in 1860 to the architect Antonio Caregaro Negrin – who was, like the patron, a fervent patriot. The architectural decoration of the façade, rich in symbols and allegories, is entrusted with the task of exalting the Risorgimento ideals to which they both adhered with conviction. The two soft stone medallions above the arches of the portico depicting Giuseppe Garibaldi and Giuseppe Mazzini, as well as the colours of the plasterwork – white, red and green, corresponding to the Italian flag – are just some of the elements that celebrate the triumph of the unification project that culminated in 1866 with the annexation of Veneto to the Kingdom of Italy.