Fondazione Giorgio Cini

Lonely Planet review

Behind Palladio's grand church extend the grounds of the former monastery. Established as long ago as the 10th century by the Benedictines, it was rebuilt in the 13th century and then expanded in a series of projects that spanned the 16th century, finishing with the library built by Longhena in the 1640s.

The Cini clan set up the Fondazione Giorgio Cini and bought the island in 1951 (saving the monastic complex from a slow death by neglect) and by 1960 had largely restored the site.

Visits take you first to the Chiostro dei Cipressi, the oldest extant part of the complex, completed in 1526 in an early Renaissance style. One side is flanked by the cells of 56 Benedictine monks who long lived here. The Chiostro del Palladio (designed by the Renaissance star) is on the site of the grand Medici library that had been destroyed by fire.

Palladio also designed the monumental refectory, in which a grand painting by Veronese depicting the Nozze di Cana (Wedding at Cana) once took pride of place. It now hangs in the Louvre after it fell into the greedy hands of Napoleon.

After the refectory, a grand staircase by Longhena leads to his magnificent library.

A stroll through the gardens leads to the outdoor Teatro Verde, built in the 1950s and sometimes used for summer performances.