Palazzo Donà a Sant’Aponal

Palazzo Donà a Sant’Aponal, also known as Palazzo Donà dalle Trezze, is a palace in Venice, located in the San Polo district (sestiere), overlooking the Grand Canal between Palazzo Papadopoli and Palazzo Donà della Madoneta.

SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO DONÀ A SANT’APONAL

The Donà family, which still exists today, was among the families who founded Venice at the beginning of the 9th century.

Built around the middle of the 13th century at the behest of the Donà family, Palazzo Donà a Sant’Aponal is one of the oldest in Venice.

In 1314, it was owned by a certain Michele Zancani, who accurately described it in his will and divided it among his four or five children.

In the 15th century, the palace was completely restructured. Other interventions dating back to the 17th century removed all the references to the original appearance of the building.

ARCHITECTURE OF PALAZZO DONÀ A SANT’APONAL

The original building was known for its grandeur. The facade was 21 meters long, while the palace extended inwards for about 60 meters.

The facade of the palace overlooking the Grand Canal had nine imposing vaults, five of which were used as warehouses and four for storing wines.

The side facades were also characterized by vaults. The left facade housed six, while the right seven.

Each noble floor was distinguished by a porch illuminated by a large window, now reduced to a simple five-light windows.

Today, the second noble floor appears more important than the first. The ogives of the mullioned window are decorated with splendid 15th-century capitals.

Many of the decorations on the facade are in beautiful Venetian-Byzantine style.

HOW TO GET TO PALAZZO DONÀ A SANT’APONAL

Palazzo Donà a Sant’Aponal is located about 1.2 kilometers on foot from the Santa Lucia railway station. The closest vaporetto stop is San Silvestro, about 350 meters away, on the waterbus Line 1.