Palazzetto Foscari del Prà

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 arch. On the right of the portal, there is a rectangular window, while on the left, there are two.

On the top floor, the facade was badly remodeled, with the balconies of Istrian limestone invading the marble framing of the window below. On the same floor, we can also find the coat of arms of the Foscari family, surmounted by a Madonna and Child.

HOW TO GET THERE

The closest waterbus stop is Ca d’Oro, located about 220 meters away, on the waterbus Line 1. The best place to admire the palace is on the other bank of the Grand Canal, near the Rialto Market.