Pietro Zaguri was born in 1733 to a family that had moved to Venice as early as the 16th century from the port city of Cattaro in southern Dalmatia. The Levantine origins are recalled both by the original name, “Saraceni,” and by the family coat of arms with a stylized Moor’s head.
Entry into the Venetian patriciate, obtained only in the mid-17th century, marked a decisive moment in the social rise of the family, which, however, never achieved the wealth and influence of the older lineages.
In 1761, Zaguri married Ludovica Grimani, thus entering one of the most prestigious families of Venetian nobility. An only son, also named Pietro, was born of the union, but he died prematurely in 1795, depriving Zaguri of an heir and aggravating the family’s economic fragilities.
Although the marriage had secured him important ties within the aristocracy, this was not enough to permanently consolidate the Zaguri’s economic position.
Pietro Zaguri held several public offices during his lifetime, including Avogadore del Comun and senator. However, these were, for the most part, honorary functions, which did not involve prominent roles in the political decisions of the Republic.
Indeed, the family lived with rather modest means, both in the Palazzo Zaguri in Campo San Maurizio, now the site of the Permanent Museum dedicated to Casanova, and in the country villa in Altichiero, near Padua.
The judgment of Lorenzo Da Ponte, who describes him as “more generous than rich, and more a friend of others than of himself,” sums up well the condition of an affable and cultured, but not particularly wealthy, patrician.
Although not endowed with great wealth, Zaguri showed a strong interest in the world and culture. In 1780 he made a trip to Paris, central to the European intellectual life of the time, while between 1788 and 1790 he traveled to Constantinople, accepting the invitation of a friend who held the position of ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
These trips – because of their exceptionality in the context of a nobility often disinclined to move – testify to a personality that was curious, open-minded and eager to learn about different realities, while remaining firmly bound to the rhythms and values of Venetian society.
Zaguri experienced firsthand one of the most complex periods in Venetian history: the last decades of the Venetian Republic. He was a keen observer – sometimes critical, sometimes resigned – of the political and cultural changes that were transforming Europe.
He looked with suspicion at the ideals of the French Revolution, especially its most violent manifestations, and often commented on contemporary events in short notes, sonnets and private reflections.
His correspondence also testifies to a growing distrust of the Venetian patriciate, which he judged to be unaccountable and not up to the governing mission that history had entrusted to the city.
The final phase of Zaguri’s life was characterized by economic and family difficulties. The death of his son in 1795 was a painful blow, compounded by the increasingly burdensome expenses of managing the palace and estate, exacerbated by the uncertain political and economic environment.
When he died in March 1806, he left his wife Ludovica a now reduced estate, consisting almost exclusively of properties in poor condition and mortgages. Upon the death of his brother Marco, bishop of Vicenza, the estate passed to his creditors.
Zaguri allocated what remained of his property to the diocese and for charitable purposes, thus ending the family’s history, marked by a brief patrician rise and an equally rapid decline.
Would you like to discover the palace where Casanova actually lived? Visit the Permanent Museum dedicated to Giacomo Casanova at Palazzo Zaguri.
