All Palaces in Veneto

Palazzo Treves de Bonfili, also known as Palazzo Barozzi Emo Treves de Bonfili, is a palace in Venice, located in the San Marco district (sestiere), overlooking the Grand Canal, near Rio di San Moisè.   SHORT HISTORY In the 12th century, a palace was built on this site by the Barozzi family. The crenellated palace was enriched by a loggia, a portico and two large square towers. In the 18th century, the building underwent massive renovations, which were however interrupted with the transfer of ownership to the noble Emo family. In 1827, the entire complex was purchased by the bankers of the Treves family, barons of Bonfili. They enriched the interior with many works of art, without altering the unfinished facade. The palace, which was in a precarious state, was recently renovated, and its exterior was painted pink.   ARCHITECTURE The main facade of the palace is the one facing Rio di San Moise, not the one overlooking the Grand Canal. It was the decision of Bartolomeo Manopola, the architect who oversaw the restoration of the 18th century. The facade on the Grand Canal is divided into two sectors – the one on the left, simpler, is a remnant of Read more [...]

Palazzo Emo Diedo is a Neoclassical palace in Venice, located in the Santa Croce district (sestiere), overlooking the Grand Canal, not far from the Church of San Simeone Piccolo.   SHORT HISTORY Palazzo Emo Diedo was built towards the end of the 17th century. The palace is an unfinished project by the architect Andrea Tirali. Built for the Emo family, the palace passed later to the Diedo family, hence the name. Today, Palazzo Emo Diedo belongs to the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Saints Bartolomea Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa, and is in excellent condition.   ARCHITECTURE The Neoclassical facade consists of a ground floor, a noble floor (piano nobile) and an attic, for a total of three floors and twenty openings. On the ground floor, the portal is flanked by two quadrangular windows, inside a rusticated surface surmounted by a balustrade. The balustrade corresponds to a balcony with a round three-light window surmounted by a large tympanum. The rest of the facade is simple and without decorations.   HOW TO GET THERE On foot, Palazzo Emo Diedo is located about 300 meters away from the Santa Lucia railway station. The closest vaporetto stop is Piazzale Roma, about 250 Read more [...]

Palazzo del Capitanio, also known as Palazzo del Tribunale or Palazzo di Cansignorio, is a beautiful palace in Verona, located in Piazza dei Signori, between Palazzo della Ragione and Palazzo del Podesta.   SHORT HISTORY The construction of the palace was commissioned by Cansignorio della Scala and probably completed in 1363. Originally, the building was a fortified palace, austere and spartan, with three large towers at the corners, of which only one still stands. The current appearance of the palace dates back to the 16th century, when, during the Venetian domination, the palace was chosen as the seat of the Captain and his offices. The Republic of Venice ordered various rearrangements of the building – the facade was redesigned in Renaissance style and a small theater was open in one of the palace halls. The theater was subsequently closed and the hall was used for other purposes. During the Austrian domination, the building was used as a judicial court. After the Veneto region, including Verona, became part of the Kingdom of Italy, restorations of the palace were planned, and conducted beginning with 1880. In 1882, the remaining tower was restored, the windows of the upper floors were arranged, and the Read more [...]

Palazzo della Gran Guardia is an imposing palace located in the historical center of Verona, in Piazza Bra, close to the Arena.   SHORT HISTORY The birth certificate of the palace was signed on September 26, 1609, with a formal request from Captain Mocenigo to Nicolò Donà, the Doge of Venice. For the construction of the structure, it was chosen a location close to the walls of the Citadel, in order to have a wall already built, and to reduce costs and work times. On December 30, 1609, the authorization was granted by the Doge, but in 1614 the budget for the construction was exhausted and the works were suspended. Only in 1808, the works resumed, after almost two hundred years of inactivity. The construction was entrusted to the architect Giuseppe Barbieri, who will also build Palazzo della Gran Guardia Nuova (Palazzo Barbieri), now the city’s Town Hall. However, the works began only in 1818, under the rule of the Habsburg Empire. In 1848, the works, still in progress, were stopped because the building was used by the Austrian army during the first war of independence. Palazzo della Gran Guardia was finally completed in 1853. The palace is now used Read more [...]

Palazzo del Podesta, also known as Palazzo del Governo (Government Palace) or Palazzo di Cangrande, is a medieval palace in Verona, located in Piazza dei Signori, between Loggia del Consiglio and Palazzo di Cansignorio.   SHORT HISTORY Palazzo del Podesta was comissioned by the Scaligeri in the second half of the 13th century for Alberto I della Scala, who came to power in 1277. In 1311, his son, Cangrande I della Scala, took up residence in the palace. During the lordship of Cangrande I, many illustrious men found hospitality in the palace, including prominent personalities such as the poet Dante Alighieri and the painter Giotto di Bondone. Dante, exiled from Florence, stayed for a long time in the palace. In fact, Piazza dei Signori is also called by the locals Piazza Dante, and in the center of the square we can find the statue of the poet. With the fall of the Scala dynasty, the palace became, during the Venetian occupation, the seat of important magistrates. The palace also hosted the offices of the podesta (chief magistrate), from which took its name. Remodeled several times over the centuries, the palace was restored to its medieval appearance in the 1920s by Read more [...]

Loggia del Consiglio, also known as Loggia of Fra’ Giocondo, is a Renaissance style palazzo located in Piazza dei Signori, in Verona, adjacent to Palazzo del Podesta. The palace is currently used as the seat of the City Council.   SHORT HISTORY Although the construction of the loggia was planned by the Municipality of Verona at the beginning of the 15th century, to be used for the meetings of the local council, the work on the building began only in 1476. The design and construction of the loggia lasted a long time. The works practically finished in 1492, but most of the decorations were added later. Today, the palace is also known as the Loggia di Fra’ Giocondo, but only for an error appeared in the 19th century. Fra Giocondo was an architect and a Veronese monk, also very active in cities like Rome and Paris, to whom the work was erroneously attributed.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE Loggia del Consiglio has marble columns built with marble from all over the world, even with green marble from China, thanks to the Silk Road trade. The facade had two bronze high-reliefs depicting the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin of the Annunciation, which Read more [...]

Palazzo Morosini Sagredo, also known as Ca’ Sagredo in the Venetian dialect, is a palace in Venice, located in the sestiere of Cannaregio, overlooking the Grand Canal, between Palazzetto Foscari and Palazzo Giustinian Pesaro.   SHORT HISTORY The palace was built starting with 1382, at the behest of the Morosini family, in particular at the will of Michele Morosini, doge of Venice for a few months. At the beginning of the 18th century, the building was purchased by Gerardo Sagredo, relative of the more famous Nicolò Sagredo, the 105th doge of Venice. Under the new ownership, the building was restored by the architect Andrea Tirali, who built the monumental staircase and had the attic decorated with stucco. The architect Tommaso Temanza also worked on the project. In 1913, the palace was sold by the Sagredo family, and later was restored to its former glory by the Superintendency of Fine Arts in Venice, being declared a National Monument. Today, Ca’ Sagredo is a 5-star hotel which features an impressive art collection. The hotel has 42 rooms and suites sumptuously decorated, and public areas which display masterpieces by famous Venetian artists of the past.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The facade of the Read more [...]

Palazzo Bembo is a Venetian-Gothic palace in Venice, located in the San Marco district (sestiere). The palace overlooks the Grand Canal next to Palazzo Dolfin Manin, not far from the Rialto Bridge.   SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO BEMBO Palazzo Bembo was built in the 15th century by the Bembo family, by merging several Byzantine style buildings dating back to the 11th century. Over the centuries, the interior of the palace was remodeled several times, but it maintained its original external structure, except for the shape of the attic. Today, the palace houses the hotel Palazzo Bembo – Exclusive Accommodation and it is also an exhibition space of contemporary art.   ARCHITECTURE OF PALAZZO BEMBO The facade of the palace has a clear Venetian-Gothic appearance, with its three levels of lancet windows. The polifora on the third floor, with the beautiful balustrade, stands out. The floors are separated by stone bas-relief frames. Inside, there is a 17th-century staircase overlooking the internal courtyard that leads to the main floor, where we can find decorations in Baroque style dating back to the same century.   TIP: To admire every palace, church and bridge built on the Grand Canal, the best option is to Read more [...]

Palazzo Ruzzini is a palace in Venice, overlooking the Grand Canal, located in the sestiere (district) of Cannaregio, near Fondaco dei Tedeschi and the Rialto Bridge.   SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO RUZZINI A fairly recent palace, Palazzo Ruzzini was built near the end of the 19th century on the site of the ancient Warehouse of the Persians (Fondaco dei Persiani), a building demolished in 1830.   ARCHITECTURE OF PALAZZO RUZZINI The palace was built in Neo-Renaissance style, with an extremely schematic facade characterized by the contrast between the color of the bricks and that of the Istrian stone which frames the openings. On the ground floor, there is a water portal flanked by two triple-light windows. On the second floor, there are six mullioned windows, and the coat of arms of the Ruzzini family, dating back to the second half of the 14th century. On the third floor, there is a four-light window in the center, divided by Corinthian columns, and four mullioned windows on the sides, all decorated with balustrades. The fourth floor is similar to the one below, the only difference being the triple-light window in the center. On the fifth floor, the attic, there are six rectangular Read more [...]

Fondaco dei Tedeschi is a large palace in Venice, located in the sestiere (district) of San Marco, overlooking the Grand Canal, near the Rialto Bridge.   SHORT HISTORY Fondaco dei Tedeschi (Warehouse of the Germans) was built around the same time as the Fondaco dei Turchi (Warehouse of the Turks), in the first half of the 13th century. The palace was the landing point for goods brought by the German merchants from Nuremberg, Judenburg and Augsburg. The original palace was destroyed by a devastating fire on the night of January 28, 1505. Soon after, the Venetian Senate decided to rebuild it on a project by Girolamo Tedesco. The reconstruction took place between 1505 and 1508. The building was owned for a long time by the Italian Post Office. In 2008, the palace was purchased by the Benetton Group for an amount of 53 million euros, and was restored by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. The palace was converted into a shopping center and was opened to the public on October 1, 2016.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE Fondaco dei Tedeschi is a large building with a square-plan and three levels around an internal courtyard, covered by a glass and steel structure. Read more [...]

Palazzo Querini Papozze is a palace in Venice, located in the Cannaregio district (sestiere), overlooking the Grand Canal between Palazzo Correr Contarini Zorzi and Palazzo Emo a San Leonardo.   SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO QUERINI PAPOZZE The palace was built in Byzantine style for the Querini family, who owned it until the 19th century. Later, the palace was renovated in Gothic and Renaissance styles, and was partially destroyed by a fire on October 21, 1815.   ARCHITECTURE OF PALAZZO QUERINI PAPOZZE The palace is characterized by a large but simple and functional facade, with rectangular openings. The facade has 43 windows on four floors and three portals on the ground floor. The coat of arms of the Querini family on the facade is a recent copy. Of the ancient building, only a well remains in the courtyard and a porch overlooking the rear. Inside the courtyard, there is a large garden, which, among its peculiarities, has a bridge built during the 19th century.   TIP: To admire every palace, church and bridge built on the Grand Canal, take the waterbus Line 1 from Piazzale Roma, and after a 45 minutes trip you will reach San Marco Vallaresso and the eastern Read more [...]

Palazzo Correr Contarini Zorzi is a magnificent palace in Venice, located in the sestiere of Canneregio, overlooking the Grand Canal, between Palazzo Querini Papozze and Palazzo Gritti Dandalo. The palace is also known as Ca’ dei Cuori (House of Hearts), given the presence of wrought iron heart decorations on the facade.   SHORT HISTORY Palazzo Correr Contarini Zorzi was built in 1678 by the noble Correr family on the site of an ancient Gothic palace, of which only the corner columns survived. Later, the palace passed to the Soranzo, Zorzi and Contarini families. The roof terrace was added in the 20th century, when the palace was owned by the De Mombell family.   ARCHITECTURE The palace has a majestic 17th-century facade overlooking the Grand Canal, characterized by the presence of two imposing monumental water portals, marked by arched heads and composed of a main opening surrounded by four quadrangular windows. There are two noble floors, of equal importance and with the same design. They are characterised by the presence of a mullioned three-light window with a small balcony, positioned to the left, flanked by other mullioned windows, which also continue on the side facades. Frames of Istrian stone highlight the Read more [...]

Palazzo Chiericati is a Renaissance-style palace in Vicenza, located in Piazza Matteotti, next to Corso Andrea Palladio, in the vicinity of Teatro Olimpico. Designed in 1550 by the architect Andrea Palladio, the palace houses the Civic Museum of Vicenza since 1855, and was included in 1994 in the UNESCO World Heritage Site City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto.   SHORT HISTORY The palace was commissioned by Count Girolamo Chiericati to Andrea Palladio in 1550, and the construction of the building began in the following year. In 1557, the count died and the works were stopped. The son of Girolamo, Valerio, limited himself to decorate the interiors of the palace, involving some great artists of the time, like Bartolomeo Ridolfi, Giovanni Battista Zelotti, Giovanni Antonio Fasolo and Battista Franco. The palace remained unfinished for more than a century, and it was completed only in 1680, following the design of Palladio, who died in 1580. The Municipality of Vicenza purchased the building in 1839 from the Chiericati family, with the intention of collecting the most important art of the city. The palace was restored by the architects Berti and Giovanni Miglioranza, and the Civic Museum was inaugurated on Read more [...]

Palazzo Porto in Piazza Castello, also known as Porto Breganze, is a palace in Vicenza, located in Piazza Castello, designed around 1571 by the architect Andrea Palladio for Alessandro Porto. It is one of the two palaces designed by Palladio in Vicenza for the Porto family, the other being Palazzo Porto, for Iseppo Porto, located in Contrà Porti, and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto.   SHORT HISTORY Alessandro Porto inherited the family properties in Piazza Castello after the death of his father, Benedetto Porto, which took place in 1571. The family assets were divided between the brothers Alessandro, Orazio and Pompeo. Francesco Thiene, owner of the Palladian palace of the same name at the other end of Piazza Castello, married Isabella Porto, Alessandro’s sister, and a competition began between the two families for having the most imposing palace in the square. The palace was designed with seven bays and a courtyard with an exedra, as shown by an analysis of the surviving walls, but the works were stopped near the end of the 16th century and never resumed. The reasons remain unknown. Between October 2009 and the Read more [...]

Palazzo Barbieri, also known as Palazzo della Gran Guardia Nuova, is a Neoclassical palace in Verona, located in Piazza Bra, near the famous Arena di Verona. Today, the palace houses the city’s Town Hall.   SHORT HISTORY Palazzo Barbieri was designed by the architect Giuseppe Barbieri, who was also the author of the Monumental Cemetery of Verona, and also participated in the construction of Palazzo della Gran Guardia. The construction of the palace began in 1836 and was completed in 1848. During the Austrian occupation, the building was used mainly for military purposes, as the headquarters of the Imperial Royal Command of the City. After the region of Veneto became part of the Kingdom of Italy, the palace was chosen as the seat of the Municipality of Verona. On the night of February 23, 1945, in one of the most destructive bombings of World War II, Palazzo Barbieri was hit and badly damaged. After the war, it was quickly rebuilt and enlarged, after a design by the architects Raffaele Benatti and Guido Troiani, and inaugurated in March 1950.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The palace has an imposing facade, with a pronaos set on a central block, delimited by tall Corinthian Read more [...]

Palazzo Surian Bellotto is a palace with an imposing facade, located in Venice, in the district of Cannaregio, overlooking the Cannaregio Canal.   SHORT HISTORY The palace was built by the Surian family in the 17th century, on a project attributed to the architect Giuseppe Sardi, who was also the author of the nearby Palazzo Savorgnan. At the end of the same century, the palace was ceded to the Bellotto family, a noble family from Brescia. In the 18th century, it became the Venetian seat of the French embassy. During this period, the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau lived there. In the 19th century, after the fall of the Republic of Venice, the palace entered a long period of degradation, during which the sumptuous interiors and the beautiful decorations were irretrievably lost. Now, the palace is a private residence.   ARCHITECTURE The best preserved and most important feature of Palazzo Surian is the large Baroque facade, which, with its four floors, stands out above the neighboring buildings. The facade is asymmetrical, having the central axis shifted to the left. On the ground floor, there are two portals with curved masonry, inserted in an ashlar band. To the portals correspond, on the main Read more [...]

Palazzo Civran is a palace in Venice, located in the Cannaregio district (sestiere), overlooking the Grand Canal, not far from Fontego dei Tedeschi and the Rialto Bridge.   SHORT HISTORY The Civran family owned the palace since the 14th century, when it was built in Gothic style. At the beginning of the 18th century, the palace was rebuilt by the architect Giorgio Massari. In the 19th century, the palace was the property of Isacco Pesaro Maurogonato, the finance minister in the Italian government of Daniele Manin. Currently, Palazzo Civran is a state-owned building, and is the seat of Guardia di Finanza.   ARCHITECTURE The current appearance of the palace is the result of the last major restoration that took place in the first half of the 18th century, when the building was renovated in Late Renaissance style. The ground floor is built from ashlar blocks, having in the center a water portal with a round arch and a keystone with an anthropomorphic head. The mezzanine consists of four windows with small balconies, each one with a iron railing. The main floor has a central single-lancet window similar to the water portal below, and two pairs of lateral single-lancet windows, all Read more [...]

Palazzo Soranzo Piovene is a beautiful palace in Venice, located in the Cannaregio district (sestiere), overlooking the Grand Canal, between Palazzo Molin Erizzo and Palazzo Emo alla Maddalena.   SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO SORANZO PIOVENE The palace dates back to the early decades of the 16th century. The building was acquired by the Soranzo family and, in 1760, it passed to the Piovene family through the marriage between Cecilia Soranzo and Girolamo Piovene. Today, the palace is the seat of Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police), which occupies the main floor and the mezzanine. The other part of the palazzo, built around a central courtyard, consists of private residences.   ARCHITECTURE OF PALAZZO SORANZO PIOVENE The project is traditionally attributed to the architect Sante Lombardo. The facade is characterized by two three-light windows, flanked on the right by two single windows and on the left by one. The windows are separated by four rectangular and two round decorations. Inside, the atrium and the staircase are remarkable. The palace is enriched by an internal courtyard with a well, on the back of which there is a second wing. The palace has also a garden.   HOW TO GET TO PALAZZO SORANZO PIOVENE Read more [...]

Palazzo Molin Querini, also known as Palazzo Molin alla Maddalena, is a palace located in the Cannaregio district, in Venice, overlooking the Grand Canal at the point where it merges with the Rio della Maddalena. The palace is next to Palazzo Emo alla Maddalena.   SHORT HISTORY Before passing to the Querini family, the palace belonged to the ancient Molin family, from which the Doge Francesco Molin was part. In the 18th century, in the palace lived another important member of the Molin family, the Bishop of Brescia Giovanni Molin. The last reconstruction of the palace dates back to the 18th century.   ARCHITECTURE The palace presents a facade divided in two. On the left, there is the water portal, surmounted by a Palladian window (a Palladian window, or serliana, is an architectural element composed of a round arched central window, symmetrically flanked by two rectangular windows), and three separate windows. On the right, we can find two rectangular windows, facing the Rio della Maddalena. In addition to the ground floor and the main floor (piano nobile), there is also a mezzanine, an upper floor and an attic. The palace has a very small interior courtyard.   HOW TO GET Read more [...]

Palazzo Emo alla Maddalena is a palace built in Baroque style in Venice, overlooking the Grand Canal, between Palazzo Molin Querini and Palazzo Soranzo Piovene.   SHORT HISTORY The palace was built at the beginning of the 17th century, and aquired around 1616 by the Emo family, for the marriage of Alvise Emo with Eleonora Rodriguez of the Diego family. The palace was bought with a part of her dowry. Around the middle of the 18th century, the owners were Francesco and Gerolamo Emo, who completed around the same time the adjacent Molin Querini Palace.   ARCHITECTURE The facade is divided into two parts, having a double orientation, both towards the Grand Canal and to the Rio della Maddalena. The facade is spread over four floors, presenting a ground floor, a mezzanine, a piano nobile and an attic. The expressive power of the facade is concentrated in the group consisting of the water portal and the overlying serliana (a serliana, or Palladian window, is an architectural element composed of a round arched central section, symmetrically flanked by two rectangular windows, surmounted by a lintel). On the main floor, there are also single windows, two on the right and three on Read more [...]

Palazzo Contarini Fasan, also called Casa di Desdemona (House of Desdemona), is one of the smallest palaces overlooking the Grand Canal, in Venice. The palace is located in the San Marco district (sestiere), between Palazzo Ferro Fini and Palazzo Venier Contarini.   SHORT HISTORY Palazzo Contarini was built around 1475 and belonged to the Contarini family. The name Fasan is probably derived from the passion of its owners for hunting pheasants. According to legend, the palace is traditionally considered the home of Desdemona, a character in William Shakespeare’s play Othello.   ARCHITECTURE The palace has a Gothic facade developed in height, on three floors, with no access to water. On the ground floor, there are 3 small rectangular windows. On the first floor, there are three lancet windows separated by white stone columns, and a balcony. On the second floor, we can find two lancet windows, and between them, under a small square opening, there is the large coat of arms of the Contarini family, in bas-relief. The top of the facade is crossed by a jagged cornice, under which can be observed the traces of the 15th-century frescoes that once embellished the entire facade.   HOW TO GET THERE Read more [...]

Palazzo Smith Mangilli Valmarana is a palace in Venice, located in the sestiere (district) of Cannaregio, overlooking the Grand Canal between Palazzo Michiel del Brusà and Ca’ Da Mosto.   SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO SMITH MANGILLI VALMARANA Originally, the palace was a Byzantine-Gothic building, owned by the Trevisan nobles from 1518 to 1666, and later by the Ceffis family. In 1740, the palace became the seat of the English Embassy and later the residence of Joseph Smith, the British consul in Venice between 1744 and 1760, and it was transformed according to the taste of the era. Joseph Smith was also a patron of arts and a collector, the agent of Canaletto for several years and the facilitator for the purchases of his works by the British aristocrats. In 1743, the painter Antonio Visentini started the works on the new facade of the palace, which was completed in 1751. Joseph Smith died in 1770, and the palace was sold by his widow to the Count Giuseppe Mangilli in 1784. The count added the two top floors and entrusted the redecoration of the interior to the architect Giannantonio Selva, who also built the La Fenice Theater. Later, the palace was sold Read more [...]

Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti is a palace in Venice, located in the sestiere of San Marco, in the immediate vicinity of the Accademia Bridge. Since 1999, it belongs to the Venetian Institute of Science, Letters and Arts, which hosts frequent cultural events.   SHORT HISTORY The palace was built in Gothic style in the second half of the 15th century by the Marcello family. It was inhabited later by the Gussoni and the Cavalli families. In 1847, the palace was ceded to the young Archduke Friedrich Ferdinand of Austria, who initiated a series of works for the modernization of the building. Later, the palace passed to Enrico, Count of Chambord, who commissioned the architect Giovanni Battista Meduna to renovate the structure. Meduna redesigned the palace, which became one of the emblems of the 19th century in Venice. In 1878, the building was bought by the Baron Raimondo Franchetti. Franchetti started a radical restoration under the direction of the architect Camillo Boito. In September 1922, the widow of Raimondo, Sarah Luisa de Rothschild, sold the building to the Istituto Federale di Credito per il Risorgimento delle Venezie, which proceeded to a new phase of works and functional adaptations.   ARCHITECTURE The palace is Read more [...]

Palazzo Dolfin Manin is a palace in Venice, located in the sestiere (district) of San Marco, overlooking the Grand Canal not far from the Rialto Bridge. Today, the palace houses the Venice branch of Banca d’Italia.   SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO DOLFIN MANIN The palace was built in 1536 by Jacopo Sansovino for the Dolfin family, by merging two pre-existing buildings dating back to the Middle Ages. Later, the palace became the residence of the noble Manin family. Ludovico Manin, the last Doge of Venice, commissioned the architect Giannantonio Selva to make important modifications to the palace. The architect eliminated the inner courtyard and replaced the entry staircase with a more sumptuous one in Neoclassical style. In 1797, Ludovico Manin accepted the surrender to the French army of Napoleon. After that moment, he lived for another five years segregated in the palace. The palace remained the property of the Manin family until 1867, when it passed to Banca Nazionale del Regno. Some restorations were carried out between 1968 and 1971, and a further restoration was completed in 2002.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF PALAZZO DOLFIN MANIN The facade of the palace was built between 1538 and 1547 by the great Read more [...]

Casa dei Tre Oci (House of Three Eyes), also known as Casa di Maria, is a palace overlooking the Giudecca Canal, located near Le Zitelle, in the sestiere of Dorsoduro, on the Giudecca island, in Venice. The name of the palace comes from the three large windows on its facade, which resemble three eyes (òci meaning eyes in the Venetian dialect).   SHORT HISTORY Casa dei Tre Oci is a 20th century palazzo linked to many illustrious names. It was built between 1912 and 1913 by the painter Mario de Maria, who made it his new Venetian residence. The painter, wanting to commemorate his beloved daughter Silvia, who disappeared a few years earlier, built the house with three large windows on the facade, representing the three surviving members of his family: himself, his wife Emilia Voight and his son Astolfo. The mullioned window placed above them symbolizes the deceased daughter. In this palace, after the death of de Maria, people linked to the art world stayed and lived, like the architect Renzo Piano. In 1970, Enrico Maria Salerno set some scenes of the film The Anonymous Venetian in the palace. Today, the palace is owned by Polymnia Venezia, a company Read more [...]

Palazzo Miani Coletti Giusti is a beautiful palace in Venice, located in the sestiere of Cannaregio. The palace overlooks the Grand Canal, and is adjacent to the wonderful Ca d’Oro.   SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO MIANI COLETTI GIUSTI The palace, as engraved on the facade, was built in 1766. The palace was own in turn by the Miani family, by the Coletti and the Giusti. Today, together with Ca d’Oro, Palazzo Miani Coletti Giusti houses the art museum Galleria Giorgio Franchetti.   ARCHITECTURE OF PALAZZO MIANI COLETTI GIUSTI The palace has a light green facade, work of the painter and architect Antonio Visentini, and is built on four floors. Overall, in the architecture of the facade we can find various allusions to the style promoted by the great architect Andrea Palladio. The building has some peculiarities, such as the presence of the four water portals surrounded by Doric semicolumns and separated by three niches containing statues depicting personalities of the time, of the many single-lancet windows that replace the typical mullioned windows, of a cornice with an unusual arch in the middle, and of an imposing dormer between two terraces with balustrades. The top floor is characterized by the presence Read more [...]

Palazzetto Foscari del Prà is a small palace in Venetian Gothic style overlooking the Grand Canal, located in the sestiere of Cannaregio, in Venice. The palace is located near the Church of Santa Sofia, at equal distance between Palazzo Michiel dalle Colonne and Ca d’Oro.   SHORT HISTORY The palace was built in the second half of the 15th century. In 1488, the Foscari family bought the building from the Longin family. In 1520, the ambassador of Mantua and Duke Federico Gonzaga resided in the palace for a certain period of time. In the early 1700s, the prominent German merchant Sigismund Streit lived in the palace. After being owned by the Del Prà family, the Giannetti Hotels Group bought the palace in 2003 and transformed it in a 4-Star hotel.   ARCHITECTURE The facade of the palace, without particular architectural merit, is noticeable due to the Gothic asymmetric polifora (window divided by multiple columns) located on the main floor (piano nobile). The polifora, decorated with Bourbon lilies in half relief, is flanked by a single lancet window to the right. On the ground floor, separated from the upper floors by a cornice, there is a water portal characterised by an ogival Read more [...]

Palazzo Cavalli, also known as Palazzo Corner Martinengo, is a palace in Venice, located in the sestiere (district) of San Marco, overlooking the Grand Canal not far from the Rialto Bridge.   SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO CAVALLI The palace was built in the 16th century, and underwent several renovations in the following centuries. At the beginning of the 16th century, Bartolomeo d’Alviano lived there, great military leader of the Venetian Republic, who distinguished himself in the defence of the city against the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. In 1521, following the marriage of a daughter of Alvise Corner with Agostino Contarini, the palace passed to the Contarini family. Around 1830, the palace was inherited by the Mocenigo family, who, in turn, sold the building in 1858 to Maria Dorotea Ulbricht. From her, Palazzo Cavalli passed to the Cavalieri family and later to the Ravenna family. In the 19th century, it was the place where the American writer James Fenimore Cooper lived for a while. Initially transformed into a hotel, the palace is now home to the Tide Forecast and Warning Center of the Municipality of Venice.   ARCHITECTURE OF PALAZZO CAVALLI The facade of the palace, an example of Venetian Gothic Read more [...]

After you pass the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, on the Grand Canal, coming from Ponte dell’Accademia, you have on your right a relatively small but very elegant palace, built in Gothic style with Renaissance elements, called Palazzo Dario or, closer to the Venetian language, Ca’ Dario.   SHORT HISTORY It is not known exactly when Palazzo Dario was built, but some say that it underwent a major reconstruction in 1487 and the architect Pietro Lombardo was the one who dealt with the project. The architect restored the palace for the Venetian Senator Giovanni Dario, an important man of those times, diplomat and trader alike. After the death of Giovanni Dario, in 1494, the palace was inherited by his illegitimate daughter, Marietta. Married to Vincenzo Barbaro, she has practically brought the palace to the Barbaro family, which already owned two palaces – one in the immediate vicinity (Palazzo Barbaro Wolkoff) and one on the other side of Canal Grande, closer to Ponte dell’Accademia, Palazzo Barbaro. Ca’ Dario will be in the possession of the Barbaro family until the middle of the 19th century. After that, it will change its owners several times until 2006, when it will be bought by some Americans Read more [...]

Palazzo Barbarigo is a palace in Venice, located in the Dorsoduro district (sestiere), between Palazzo Da Mula Morosini and Campo San Vio. The palace has one of the most characteristic facades overlooking the Grand Canal.   SHORT HISTORY Palazzo Barbarigo was built in the 16th century, in the middle of the Renaissance. Near the end of the 19th century, the palace became the headquarters of Compagnia Venezia Murano, producer of glass and mosaics. The company renovated the building and had the facade covered with mosaics designed by the painter Giulio Carlini and applied in 1886 by Fratelli Testolini (Testolini Brothers), owners of the Fratelli Testolini company, specialized in the production of sculpted artistic furniture, glassware, mosaics, textiles and furnishing accessories.   ARCHITECTURE Palazzo Barbarigo is a typical 16th-century building, of beautiful proportions, with simple arched windows, juxtaposed at the center of the upper floors and linked horizontally by marble bands. The frieze between the upper floors shows thirty-five cherubs pursuing various arts, including painting, drawing, sculpture and architecture. The two murals commemorate the 16th century royal visits in Venice of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, speaking to Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) on the scaffolding of St. Mark’s Basilica, and of Read more [...]

The Loggia and Odeo Cornaro are two Renaissance buildings in Padua, located in the eastern part of the historical center of the city, not far from the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua. The structures were part of a larger complex of buildings and gardens built by Alvise Cornaro in the first half of the 16th century, in the vast park of his residence. Of the original complex, only a rectangular courtyard of about 32 by 18 meters remains. The Loggia occupies the entire short side, while the Odeo stands in the center of the long side.   SHORT HISTORY OF THE LOGGIA AND ODEO CORNARO The Loggia was desired by Alvise Cornaro as a physical expression of the idea of a humanist theater. The structure, designed by the architect and painter Giovanni Maria Falconetto from Verona, was built starting with 1524. The Odeo was built ten years after the Loggia, and it was the space intended for music and poetic recitations. Starting with 1540, the Odeo became the seat of the Academy of the Burning Ones (Accademia degli Infiammati), a philosophical and literary academy in Padua.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE LOGGIA AND ODEO CORNARO The Loggia is Read more [...]

Loggia Amulea is a neo-Gothic style palace in Padua, located on the western side of the beautiful square of Prato della Valle.   SHORT HISTORY The Loggia takes its name from the cardinal Marco Antonio da Mula, known also as Amulio, who founded in Padua the Collegio Amulio and the Compagnia del Gran Nome di Dio, dedicated to the assistance of orphans. He owned a palace in Prato della Valle, which was destroyed by a fire in 1822. The Municipality of Padua then decided to built a new palace. Initially, the building was supposed to be divided into cafes, dance halls, game rooms, theaters, but later it was preferred to be used for military purpose. Around 1860, among the various competing projects, it was chosen the one presented by the architect Eugenio Maestri. The palace was the seat of the Padua fire brigade between 1906 and 1989. It currently houses some municipal offices.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The front of the building is characterized by an elegant loggia, a two-storey neo-Gothic structure which recovers medieval elements, especially in the use of architectural decorations in terracotta (architraves, tiles, pilasters). Between the lower arches of the loggia, there are the statues of Read more [...]

Palazzo Zacco al Prà is a beautiful palace in Padua, located on the western side of the square of Prato della Valle.   SHORT HISTORY The construction of the building was begun on December 19, 1555, commissioned by Marco, an exponent of the Zacco family of Padua. The building was designed by Andrea Moroni, and probably incorporated some pre-existing buildings. The construction was completed in less than two years and, by 1557, the palace was already occupied by its owners. The Zacco family resided in the palace until the early 1800s. One of the last major events that took place in the palace was the stay of the Austrian Emperor Francis II of Habsburg and his wife, Carolina Augusta of Bavaria. On June 27, 1839, the last descendants of the historic owners sold the building to the Armenian Mekhitarist Congregation. Four years later, the palace became the Collegio Morat. Later, the property was taken over by the municipality of Padua, which in 1904 ceded it to the Italian state. Palazzo Zacco was declared a building of artistic interest on April 24, 1925. Occupied by various Military Commands, Palazzo Zacco became the Padua headquarters of the Officer’s Club of the Italian Read more [...]

Loggia del Consiglio is a beautiful Late Renaissance palace in Padua, located in the southwestern corner of Piazza dei Signori. Beginning with 1240, when the large hall of Palazzo della Ragione was destroyed in a fire, the city’s council met in the Loggia del Consiglio, hence the name of the building. The palace is also known as the Loggia della Gran Guardia, because it was used as a military commandment during the Austrian domination.   SHORT HISTORY The elegant Mannerist building was designed by Annibale Maggi from Bassano, and built starting with the year 1496. The works proceeded slowly and were often interrupted by long pauses, of which the longest was after the Siege of Padua by the Roman Emperor Maximilian I, in 1509, during the War of the League of Cambrai. The work resumed in 1516 under the guidance of Biagio del Bigio from Ferrara, and later, starting with 1530, continued under the direction of the architect Giovanni Maria Falconetto. Faconetto, due also to his work on the Torre dell’Orologio, played an important role in the new configuration of the square. In 1866, the Loggia del Consiglio became part of the municipal patrimony, and was subsequently used for cultural Read more [...]

Palazzo del Monte di Pietà is a medieval palace in Padua, located near the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, on the northern side of Piazza Duomo.   SHORT HISTORY The palace was built between the 13th and 14th centuries, and it belonged to the famous moneylender Rinaldo Scrovegni. At the beginning of the 14th century, it was destroyed by a fire and subsequently abandoned. The palace was taken over by the noble family of da Carrara, and with the annexation of Padua by the Republic of Venice at the beginning of the 15th century, the building became the property of the Venetian government. A fire damaged much of the building in the first half of the 16th century. Doge Andrea Gritti, at the request of the bishop Pietro Barozzi, sold the palace for 10,000 ducats to the Monte di Pietà institution, founded by the Franciscans a few decades earlier to combat usury. The renovation of the facade was entrusted to the Veronese architect Giovanni Maria Falconetto, who redesigned the building on the basis of the six-arched loggia and the perimeter walls that survived the fire. The headquarters of the Monte di Pietà was inaugurated in 1533, while in the following Read more [...]

Palazzo Michiel dalle Colonne is a palace in Venice, located about 250 meters from the Rialto Bridge, overlooking the Grand Canal near Palazzo Michiel del Brusà. The palace is known for the architectural structure of its ground floor, with a portico along the whole facade, divided by very tall columns.   SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO MICHIEL DALLE COLONNE The palace was built in the 13th century by the Grimani family, whose coat of arms is carved on an old well in the courtyard. Originally, it probably followed the Venetian-Byzantine style typical of that period. Starting with 1661, the palace was attested as the property of the Zen family, and was named dalle Colonne (of the Columns). To the Zen family, we owe the partial rebuilding to a design by Antonio Gaspari, completed in 1697. In 1702, the palace was given to Ferdinando Carlo di Gonzaga-Nevers, the last duke of Mantua and Monferrato. He lived there starting with 1706, after he was exiled by the Austrians who emerged victorious in the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1712, the palace was bought by the Conigli family, nobles of Verona. It seems they have never used it, and in 1714 they sold Read more [...]

Palazzo Grimani is a historic palace in Padua, located on Prato della Valle, one of the city’s most important monumental spaces. The building stands near Basilica of Santa Giustina, Orto Botanico di Padova, and Basilica of Saint Anthony, in the southern part of the historic center. The palace is also known as Palazzo Verson, formerly Grimani, a name connected with later ownership. The complex is historically important, but it is private property, so visitors normally see it only from the outside. Palazzo Grimani was built over medieval structures and transformed by the Grimani dai Servi family from 1561. The earlier Gothic buildings were reorganized into a noble residence, then completed in a more monumental form between 1621 and 1630, during the seventeenth-century development of Prato della Valle. The palace is linked with Giovanni Antonio Rusconi, Francesco Contin, and Mattia de Rossi. De Rossi, a Roman Baroque architect connected with Bernini’s circle, designed an ambitious enlargement in 1671, but the project was never completed. His plan remains central to the palace’s architectural history.     Short History of Palazzo Grimani Medieval Origins and the Grimani Family The site of Palazzo Grimani was already occupied in the late fourteenth century by several Read more [...]

Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, also known as Palazzo Loredan Vendramin Calergi, is an imposing palace on the Grand Canal, in Venice, where the composer Richard Wagner died in 1883. Since 1950, Palazzo Vendramin Calergi il also known for hosting the oldest casino in the world, Casino di Venezia, established in 1638.   SHORT HISTORY OF CA’ VENDRAMIN CALERGI The palace was commissioned in the late 15th century by the Loredan family to the famous architect Mauro Codussi. The building was his last work, completed in 1509, five years after his death. In 1581, the palace was sold to the Duke of Brunswick and, after some legal troubles, in 1589, it was bought by a rich nobleman, Vettor Calergi, for his wedding with Isabetta Gritti. Vettor Calergi had only one daughter, Marina, who was married in 1608 to Vincenzo Grimani. The palace passed, by inheritance, to the sons of Marina with the obligation to take also the surname Calergi. The three sons of Marina remained famous for their ferocity – after the cruel murder of Francesco Querini Stampalia, they were banned from the Republic and deprived of the property, but after a donation to the Senate for war expenses, they were reinstated in Read more [...]

Palazzo Flangini is, practically, the first truly monumental building that you meet on the Grand Canal, in Venice, when you are traveling with the vaporetto from the railway station, heading to the Rialto Bridge. Located near Scuola dei Morti, the Flangini Palace consists of two-thirds of an unfinished building, probably designed by Giuseppe Sardi in the second half of the 17th century.   SHORT HISTORY It is said that the palace remained unfinished because one of the two brothers who inherited it, in spite of the other, had one of the wings destroyed, cutting the palace in half. The reality, much simpler and more prosaic, is that the old owner lacked the funds and was unable to buy the nearby area necessary for the completion of the building. The building was built between 1664 and 1682 and is attributed to the architect Giuseppe Sardi by the art historian of the 18th century Tommaso Temanza, but some think it could be the project of Baldassarre Longhena. Currently, the building is divided into several private properties. Following an important restoration, the entrance hall and the portego of the building have been taken over by the Valorizzazioni Culturali society, with the aim of Read more [...]

Scuola dei Morti (School of the Dead) is a small and charming building from the 17th century, overlooking the Grand Canal, in Venice, placed between Palazzo Flangini and the apse of the Church of San Geremia.   SHORT HISTORY The building belonged to the Congregazione della Santissima Madonna del Suffragio dei Morti, known also as the School of the Dead, a religious congregation that, in 1624, has joined the homonymous Confraternity of Rome. A few years earlier, in 1615, the congregation held meetings in the Church of San Geremia, until the parish priest gave them a piece of land in the ancient cemetery, to erect a chapel for the meetings, permission approved by the Venetian Senate in 1659. At the expense of the Savorgnan family, the school was built, but was then destroyed during an Austrian bombing in 1849. Today, after an integral reconstruction, the building is used by the parish of San Geremia.   ARCHITECTURE The facade of the one-storey building is simple and has a skull in the center, between two large windows, with an inscription below reminding about the congregation of Scuola dei Morti.   HOW TO GET THERE The best place to admire the Scuola dei Read more [...]

Palazzo Malipiero is a palace located on the eastern bank of the Canal Grande, just 100 meters away from Ponte dell’Accademia. The palace is very close to Palazzo Grassi, separated only by the small San Samuele Square. The palace is famous, first of all, as the residence of Giacomo Casanova for a few years, when he was still a teenager. In the chambers of this palace, it seems, the Venetian lover learned the art of love that he will practice so tenaciously later.   SHORT HISTORY The palace, also known as Ca’ Grande di San Samuele, was built in the 11th century by the Soranzo family. At the beginning of the 15th century, the palace was in the possession of a powerful Venetian family – the Cappello family, following a marriage. By the mid-sixteenth century, the Cappello family comisioned the widening of the palace and the construction of the facade facing the Canal Grande, which still exists today. Also in the 16th century, through another union, the palace passes from the possession of the Cappello family to that of the Malipiero family. Like the other owners, the Malipiero family took care of the palace, being responsible for a series of Read more [...]

Palazzo Gussoni Grimani Dalla Vida is a palace in Venice, located in the Cannaeregio district (sestiere), overlooking the Grand Canal between Casa Velluti and Palazzetto Da Lezze.   SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO GUSSONI GRIMANI DALLA VIDA The palace was designed by the architect Michele Sanmicheli, and built between 1548 and 1556 for the Gussoni family. Between 1614 and 1618, Palazzo Gussoni Grimani Dalla Vida was the residence of the English diplomat Sir Henry Wotton, the Doge’s counselor at that time, and also the author of a limited number of poems and translations. During the 17th century, the edifice served as the headquarters for the Accademia Delfica, founded in 1647 by Francesco Gussoni. In 1736, after the death of the last member of the Gussoni family, the palace was transfered to the next of kin, the Minio family. In 1978, the building was sold to the Grimani family, and starting with 1814 it was owned by the Dalla Vida family, recognized as the last owners. Today, the palace is the property of the Italian state.   ARCHITECTURE OF PALAZZO GUSSONI GRIMANI DALLA VIDA The main facade overlooking the Grand Canal is characterized by a horizontal and vertical tripartition. At the center Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide One of the oldest palaces in Venice, Fondaco dei Turchi is located in the district of Santa Croce, on the southern bank of the Grand Canal. From this strategic point of view, with an impenetrable mimic on its Byzantine style facade, the palace watches the gondolas passing by for almost 800 years.   SHORT HISTORY The palace was built in 1225 by Giacomo Palmieri, one of the members of the powerful Pesaro family. For certain political favors, the construction was given in 1381 to Nicolo d’Este, Marquise of Ferrara. Two centuries later, in 1621, it was bought by the Turkish merchants in Venice, who turned it into a warehouse and a residential space. The name that it bears today comes from that period, meaning in English The Turkish Warehouse. In 1838, the palace was abandoned by the Turks in a very bad state. It had to be another twenty years before the Municipality decided to renovate it, and the mission was entrusted to the architect and engineer Camillo Boito. It seems, however, that after the reconstruction, the palace was adorned with two lateral Gothic towers that did not existed before, but keept the general lines of Read more [...]

Commonly known as Ca’ d’Oro, Palazzo Santa Sofia, located just across the Rialto Market, overlooking the Grand Canal, undoubtedly remains the most beautiful Venetian palace. Its name, translated into English as The Golden House, does not lie, because at origins, portions of the facade facing the Grand Canal were covered with this noble metal. Today, gold is missing, but the Venetian-style Gothic building still impresses, not so much by stature, but by the delicacy of its decorations. Currently, the palace hosts the Giorgio Franchetti art gallery, and it can be visited at the same time.   SHORT HISTORY The palace was built between 1421 and 1440 for the Venetian merchant Marino Contarini. He closely supervised the work of several architects and sculptors, of whom we can mention the Venetians Giovanni and Bartolomeo Bon, responsible for the decorations that adorn the palace, the Milan sculptor Matteo Raverti, and Marco d’Amedeo, probably the designer of the project. Marino Contarini died in 1441, leaving his only son, Piero, his entire fortune. Piero inherited, of course, the palace, which he will leave after his death to his daughters. A series of misunderstandings that followed led to the loss of the palace, which came in Read more [...]