Ca’ del Duca

Ca’ del Duca is a palace in Venice, located in the San Marco district (sestiere), overlooking the Grand Canal next to Palazzo Falier.

SHORT HISTORY OF CA’ DEL DUCA

The construction project of the palace was entrusted to Bartolomeo Bon by Marco Cornaro, father of Caterina Cornaro, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Cyprus.

Unfinished, the palace was sold in 1461 to Francesco Sforza, who entrusted its grandiose reconstruction to Antonio Averulino.

However, before the project could be implemented, Ca’ del Duca was expropriated due to the rivalry appeared between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan.

A second renovation project was entrusted to Jacopo Sansovino by Vittore Grimani, the Procurator of San Marco, but this project too remained only on paper.

In 1618, Alfonso de la Cueva-Benavides y Mendoza-Carrillo, a Spanish nobleman who went to Venice as ambassador, settled in the palace. Soon after, he was forced to flee because he was involved in the Bedmar Conspiracy against the Serenissima.

During the 1620s, the palace was used as a studio by Titian, who worked here on many of the canvases intended for the decoration of the Doge’s Palace.

In 2011, Ca’ del Duca hosted the Luxembourg Pavilion on the occasion of the 54th Art Biennale.

ARCHITECTURE OF CA’ DEL DUCA

Ca’ del Duca has three facades – one overlooking the Grand Canal, one on Rio del Duca and one on Corte del Duca Sforza.

The main facade of the palace, dating back to the 19th century, appears visibly unfinished in its simplicity.

The only remaining elements of the ancient building are two mighty columns and a diamond-shaped ashlar base on the main facade, and the water portals and the ground floor windows on the side facade on Rio del Duca.

The facade overlooking the courtyard, while appearing imposing due to its lenght, does not have any valuable architectural elements.

HOW TO GET TO CA’ DEL DUCA

Ca’ del Duca is located about 2.7 kilometers away from the Santa Lucia railway station. The closest vaporetto stop is San Samuele, about 200 meters away, on the waterbus Lines 1 and 2.