In the heart of Venice, between Campo San Maurizio and Santa Maria del Giglio, Palazzo Zaguri represents one of the most fascinating examples of Venetian Gothic architecture. Its history spans more than six centuries, interweaving influential families, art collections, urban transformations and the city’s cultural life.
Originally known as Palazzo Pasqualini, the building bears witness to a vibrant, commercially driven and cultured Venice, capable of reinventing itself over time without losing its identity.
The earliest records of Palazzo Zaguri date back to 1353, when the building was already partially constructed. It originally belonged to the bourgeois Pasqualini family, originally from Milan, influential in the silk trade and a member of the Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Carità, one of Venice’s most prestigious secular-religious institutions.
The Pasqualini transformed the palace into a place of representation and culture, commissioning works from important Renaissance artists and creating an extraordinarily valuable art collection, documented by historian Marcantonio Michiel in the 16th century. The palace thus established itself as a space of prestige and intellectual sophistication.
In 1521 the palace was aquired by Alvise Priuli, a member of one of the city’s most influential noble families. Under the Priuli family, the building continued to be embellished with decorative features, statues, and works commissioned from leading artists, including Alessandro Vittoria.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, ownership of the palace became increasingly fragmented, until it eventually passed to the Zaguri family. It was under the Zaguri that the building acquired the name by which it is known today, further cementing its place in the Venice’s urban fabric.
In the 18th century Palazzo Zaguri came into the full ownership of the Zaguri family of San Maurizio. Among its members, Pietro I Antonio Zaguri stands out as a key figure in Venetian cultural life: a man of letters, patron and promoter of artistic initiatives.
The palace became a hub of intellectual exchange and cultural interactions, frequented by prominent figures of that time. A friend and patron of Giacomo Casanova, Pietro I Antonio Zaguri , helped establish Palazzo Zaguri as a place deeply connected to the cultural life of 18th-century Venice
After the Zaguri family line came to an end, the palace passed into new ownerships and gradually took on different functions. During the 20th century, part of the building was acquired by the City of Venice and used as a school and later as municipal offices.
For decades, Palazzo Zaguri housed local schools, becoming part of the collective memory of generations of Venetians.
This phase marked a profound change, while also demostrating the building’s ability to adapt to the changing needs of the city.
