Designed by Palladio in the late 16th century, the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Presentazione, known as the Zitelle, was a church and hospice for orphans and poor young women (zitelle is old local slang for ‘old maids’). The doors are rarely open, but you can get a spa treatment in the adjoining convent and sleep in the orphanage. The luxury Bauer Palladio Hotel & Spa (www.palladiohotelspa.com) has creatively tweaked the original structure without altering Palladio’s blueprint or the original cloister garden.
