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Whether on a cozy riverboat or in an elegant gondola on the Grand Canal, it’s impossible not to notice the beautiful facades of Venetian palaces! You can marvel at the beautiful buildings that hide secrets and mysteries of the city and remind you of its past greatness. We have chosen our top 5 most beautiful palaces in this beautiful city on the water.
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Palazzo Foscari
Address: Dorsoduro, 3246, 30123 Venezia
This magnificent Gothic-style structure was erected on the banks of the Grand Canal between 1437 and 1452 and belonged to Francesco Foscari, a Venetian doge, a nobleman who was eager to show off his wealth and influence. By the way, the palace turned out amazingly beautiful. Even the most experienced critics could not find any flaws in it, calling it the most successful example of Gothic Venice.
Francesco also believed he was building a real family residence that would be occupied by his heirs and their descendants for centuries to come. However, his dream was not destined to come true: in the 19th century, the palace served as a barracks for soldiers, the proximity to which had an extremely negative effect on the building. After a long and painstaking restoration, completed in 2005, the Foskari Palace was transformed into the residence of an institution of higher learning.
Palazzo Labia
Address: Campo San Geremia, 30100 Venezia
In the 18th century, this stunning palazzo was considered the family home of the wealthiest Labia family. In the city that commissioned the most talented architects of the city on the water, Alessandro Treminiona and Andrea Cominelli designed the structure. Soon, however, the wealthy family went bankrupt and lost the palace, which passed into the possession of Prince Lobkowicz. But the representative of the nobility also quickly sold the palace to the Israeli Koenigsberg Foundation. After that, the palace was used for various purposes. It was also a sawmill, a textile factory, and a laundry drying room. In the 1960s it was bought by the Italian broadcaster RAI, who made their office in the palace.
Palazzo Dario
Address: Campiello Barbaro, 352, 30123 Venezia
It is quite a difficult task to single out the most interesting and beautiful palaces of Venice. But the Palazzo Dario cannot be overlooked. Its facade, like that of many palaces, faces the Grand Canal. It reveals to all and sundry its strikingly bright marble color.
It was built in 1487 in the classical style of the Renaissance by the order of Giovanni Dario. Dario was a Venetian nobleman who served as secretary of Venice. The city’s inhabitants call it a “cursed palace” because of the many misfortunes and tragedies suffered by the Dario family. Venetians find it difficult even to count the number of inhabitants who have died here in absurd deaths, carefully avoiding the place.
Read also about Palazzo Ca Rezzonico – museum of Venetian art of the XVIII century
Palazzo Dandolo
Address: Riva degli Schiavoni, 4196, 30122 Venezia
Palazzo Dandolo is also well known outside of the splendid city on the water, which it has graced since the 1400s. This beautiful building once belonged to the Dandolo family, hence its name. But very soon the family decided to sell the palace to another prominent family, the Gritti. Thereby starting a long history of sales and purchases of the place from one hand to another. It gave the impression that the rich and noblemen who bought the palace were simply not prepared to pay for its upkeep. So, they were selling it to their friends and acquaintances.
It went on until the 1630s, when the palace was bought by the people, who turned it into the most popular gambling house in the city, introducing the rule of playing in masks, so as not to feel shame in front of those present at big losses.
However, after a while the casino had to be closed at the insistence of the authorities, and its owner fled. The Palazzo Dandolo is now home to the chic Hotel Danieli.
Palazzo Ducale
Address: P.za San Marco, 1, 30124 Venezia
Palazzo Ducale, also known as the Doge’s Palace, is probably one of the “visiting cards” of Venice. The Doge’s permanent seat was erected back in 1424 by Filippo Calendario in the style of refined Italian Gothic. For centuries the Doge’s Palace was the very heart and symbol of the political life of the Venetian Republic.
However, when it fell in 1797, the function of this magnificent building also changed. From then on, it served different purposes, being home to different administrative divisions. By the end of the 19th century, the palace slowly began to fall into disrepair. The city administration allocated an impressive sum of money for its restoration and reconstruction.
Almost all the state services that occupied the premises were moved to other buildings. Only the State Committee for Protection of Cultural Heritage remained. In 1923, the government of Italy, decided to open a museum inside the Doge’s Palace, still in operation today.