A late 17th-century palace, cataloged by the Regional Institute of Venetian Villas with identification code 00004140, Villa Danieli Canal is a building of valuable architectural craftsmanship. The main facade, facing a courtyard to the south, features an arched entrance in rusticated stone, framed by two small side windows; these interrupt the architectural regularity of the other windows aligned along the entire height of the building. A valuable trifora rises on the piano nobile, enveloped by a long balustrade and topped by a cornice. Similarly, a blind bifora overlooks the eastern side, on Via San Pio X. To the north, a stone effigy of the Lion of Saint Mark, testifying to the glorious time of the Republic of Venice, preannounces an imposing staircase providing access to the various floors of the palace. The building was the home-business of the Danieli family, established entrepreneurs in the textile sector, who also financially contributed to the construction of the Crespano Cathedral. Subsequently, the building became the residence of the philologist and musician Pietro Canal (1807-1883) and was named “La Biblioteca” (The Library) due to the copious literary, especially musical, heritage that Canal collected there. Upon his death, Abbot Canal bequeathed a treasure of 24,000 volumes, including musical scores, incunabula, and books, distributed over five rooms and publicly accessible, to his family. The first room contained collections of Greek and Latin classics, the second Italian classics, the third texts published by the Accademia della Crusca, the fourth was reserved for music, while the last for treatises on mathematical sciences. The collection was subsequently transferred to other Venetian libraries, including the Marciana in Venice.
