Chiesa delle Zitelle

Designed by Palladio in the late 16th century, the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Presentazione, known as the Zitelle, was a church and hospice for orphans and poor young women ( zitelle is old local slang for ‘old maids’). The church bell only rings on Sundays and the doors are rarely open, but you can get a spa treatment in the adjoining convent and sleep in the orphanage – no, seriously. The Palladio Hotel & Spa has creatively tweaked the original structure without altering Palladio’s blueprint, marble walls, beamed ceilings, or the original cloisters garden, transforming the premises into a memorable high-end spa-hotel.