Sailing on a cozy river bus or in an elegant gondola along the Grand Canal, you can not help but pay attention to the wonderful facades of the Venetian palaces! Your eyes will fall on the beautiful buildings, concealing the secrets and secrets of the city, as well as reminiscent of its former greatness. We have selected the five most beautiful, in our opinion, palaces of a beautiful city on the water.
Palazzo Foscari
This marvelous Gothic-style building was erected directly at the waters of the Grand Canal in 1437-1452 and belonged to the Venetian doge Francesco Foscari, a nobleman who tried to put on display his welfare and influence. By the way, the palace came out of amazing beauty. Even the most sophisticated critics could not find flaws in it, calling it the most successful example of Gothic architecture in Venice.
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Francesco also believed that he was building a real family residence, which would be occupied by his heirs and their descendants for many centuries. However, his dream was not destined to come true: in the 19th century the palace served as a barracks for soldiers, whose proximity extremely negatively affected the building. And after a long and painstaking restoration, which was completed in 2005, the Foscari Palace turned into the residence of a higher educational institution.
Palazzo Labia
Some time ago, namely in the 18th century, this stunning palace was considered the family house of the richest Labia family in the city, who invited to create a project for building talented city architects on the water - Alessandro Treminiona and Andrea Cominelli. However, soon a wealthy family, in full enjoyment of high life and increased attention from the public, went bankrupt and lost the palazzo, which passed into the possession of Prince Lobkovich. But a representative of the nobility quickly sold the palace to the Koenigsber’s Israeli foundation. After that, the palace was used for various needs: it was a sawmill, a textile factory, and a clothes dryer. In the 1960s, it was acquired by the Italian television and radio company RAI, which made its office in the palace.
Palazzo Dario
To distinguish from the many palaces of Venice the most interesting and beautiful is a very difficult task. However, it is simply impossible not to mention the Palazzo Dario. Its facade, like many other palaces, overlooks the Grand Canal, showing each and everyone their unusually bright color of marble.
It was built in 1487 in the classic Renaissance style on the orders of Giovanni Dario, a representative of the Venetian nobility, who served as secretary of Venice. By the way, the residents of the city call this building a “cursed palace”, due to the many setbacks and tragedies that have befell the Dario family, as well as other owners and guests of the palace. The Venetians find it difficult even to count the number of people who died here as an absurd death, carefully avoiding this place.
Palazzo Dandolo
The Palazzo Dandolo is also widely known outside the magnificent city on the water, which he adorns since the 1400s. This beautiful building once belonged to the Dandolo family, from where it got its name. But very soon, family members decided to sell the palace to another famous family name - Gritti, thereby launching a long history of sales and purchases of this place from one source to another. It seemed that the wealthy and grandees who acquired the palazzo were simply not ready to pay for its maintenance, and therefore they sold it to their friends and acquaintances.
This continued until the 1630s, until the palace was acquired by people who made it the most popular gambling house in the city, introducing the rule to play in masks, so as not to feel shame in front of those present at major losses.
However, after some time the casino had to be closed at the insistence of the authorities, and its owner had to flee. Now in the Palazzo Dandolo is a luxury hotel Hotel Danieli.
Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace, Palazzo Ducale)
The Palazzo Ducale, also known as the Doge's Palace, is perhaps one of the "visiting cards" of Venice. The permanent residence of the Doges was erected as early as 1424 according to the design of Filippo Calendario in the style of exquisite Italian Gothic. For many centuries the Doge's Palace was the very heart and symbol of the political life of the Republic of Venice.
However, when she fell in 1797, the purpose of this magnificent building also changed. From that moment it served for different purposes, was the home of various administrative units. By the end of the 19th century, the palace gradually began to decline, and the city administration allocated an impressive amount of funds for its restoration and restoration.
Almost all public services occupying the premises were moved to other buildings. Only the state committee for the protection of cultural heritage remains. In 1923, the Italian government, which owns this architectural monument, decided to open a museum inside the Doge’s Palace, which is still operating today.
