Novigrad’s palaces

 At Velika ulica 5 in Novigrad there is a small but important town palace, commissioned by the noble Rigo family from Novigrad, known for their titles of counts, and built in 1770. The palace is an exceptional example of residential architecture designed in the Mitteleuropean Baroque style, which spread to the Istrian littoral from Trieste. The Rigo family is also connected to the large country villa in Karpinjan from 1750, considered one of the best examples of Istrian rustic villas from that period. The palace was commissioned by Carlo Rigo, the son of the Venetian poet and painter Maria Giovanna Marcello. Although it’s in poor condition today, it’s still worth a stroll. 

Situated in the bay of Sveta Lucija, Villa Rainis was built around 1900 according to a project by Antonio Manzoni, a descendant of the oldest and most illustrious family of Novigrad. The villa was designed in the spirit of Vienna historicism and to some extent Art Nouveau, as well as neo-Renaissance Venetian villas. In 2021, the Fattori family from Novigrad renovated the villa in its original style and turned it into a heritage hotel bearing the same name. 

The history of the impressive architectural complex in Dajla is linked to the noble Venetian family of Grisoni, who inherited the estate in 1762. The complex was renovated between 1830 and 1837, and consisted of a manor house, the church of St John the Baptist, the manager’s house with a Baroque façade, lateral farm buildings and a courtyard garden with a beautiful gateway and sea view. In his will dated 1841, Francesco Grisoni donated the villa and land to the Benedictines of Praglia Abbey in the province of Padua, and today it’s an abandoned property owned by the Church.