Canova Museum

Antonio Canova was born in Possagno in 1757. His grandfather, aware of his incredible vocation, introduced him to art and sculpture. It is said that, at the age of 6 or 7 years old, in a villa in Asolo, he sculpted a lion out of butter with such skill as to amaze all the guests. Canova soon moved to Venice and then to Rome, but often returned to Possagno, where he designed the grand neoclassical Temple dedicated to the Trinity, which now houses his remains.

The complex of the Canova Museum, not far away, contains the birthplace of the artist, the gallery of plaster casts and the garden. His home hosts paintings, etchings, drawings and his valuable work tools; the Gipsoteca is the kingdom of plaster casts, the original models of his sculptures, which are now preserved in the most important museums in the world, including Le Grazie, Daedalus and Icarus, Pauline Borghese. The majestic nineteenth-century hall was built between 1832 and 1836 based on a design by Francesco Lazzari and is the first public museum in the Veneto region. In 1957 a stunning new wing, designed by the Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa, was built.