Palazzo Michiel dalle Colonne

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 it to the Michiel family, already owners of various properties in Venice. Like the Zen family before, this line also assumed the dalle Colonne name.

In 1716, the palace hosted the prince Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, the future king of Poland, and the duke Charles VII of Bavaria, future emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

The interior of the palace was decorated in 1775 by Michelangelo Morlaiter and Francesco Zanchi on the occasion of the wedding between Marcantonio Michiel and Giustina Renier.

In 1879, the property passed to Giustina Renier’s nephew, Leopardo Martinengo, and in 1884 was inherited by Donà delle Rose.

In the 1930s, the building was sold to the Provincial Federation of Combination Fasci and housed the Venetian Fascist Movement.

After the World War II, the palace was converted into the Chamber of Labor, under the name of Ca’ Matteotti, but the building was vacated in 1954 and returned to the Italian State.

The structure underwent restoration works between 2002 and 2003.

the facade of Palazzo Michiel dalle Colonne

ARCHITECTURE OF PALAZZO MICHIEL DALLE COLONNE

Palazzo Michiel dalle Colonne has a perfectly symmetrical facade in Baroque style, with three floors plus an attic.

The theme of the serliana appears on the two noble floors, where we can find two superimposed Palladian windows, between pairs of rectangular single-lancet windows.

The single windows are all surmounted by particular tympanums, broken in the center to house stone busts.

All the openings of the facade, including the portico and the six small single-lancet windows of the attic, are closed by balustrades.

Inside, there are stuccoes from the second half of the 18th century, the work of Michelangelo Morlaiter.

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 end of the canal.

And if you need more time to admire the scenery, take an enchanting gondola ride along Canal Grande.

HOW TO GET TO PALAZZO MICHIEL DALLE COLONNE

Palazzo Michiel dalle Colonne is located about 1.4 kilometers on foot from the Venezia Santa Lucia railway station.

The closest waterbus stop is Ca’ d’Oro, located about 250 meters away, which can be reached with the vaporetto Line 1 ACTV.

The best place to admire the palace is on the other bank of the Grand Canal, near the Rialto Market.