OUR
TOUR DOWN THE GRAND CANALWHAT YOU'LL SEE
Along the way you'll see magnificent palaces and hotels with sleek motor launches moored in front with striped poles that indicate each palazzo. They are often emblazoned with painted heraldic devices which range in age from the 13th century to the 18th century. Today, some of these buildings have been converted into condos. Lower water-lapped floors are now deserted, but the higher floors are still coveted by the city's titled families who have inhabited these glorious residences for centuries. Others have become the summertime dream-homes-with-a-view of the privileged, drawn here as irresistibly as the romantic Venetians-by-adoption who preceded them -- Richard Wagner, Robert Browning, Lord Byron, and (more recently) Woody Allen. At each mooring location you will observe crowded vaporetto busy depositing a crush of passengers onto docks, police boats, gondola funeral corteges, and boats piled high with freight, ready to be delivered.
The Grand Canal is lined with unbroken successions of sumptuous residences; 120 palaces and 15 churches. The stunning array of facades of airy fretwork, mullioned windows with pointed arches, and impressive loggias is a sight to behold.. Be sure to take your camera!
The present Grand Canal was originally a river which flowed through the lagoon, with mud islands on either side. The canal was deepened as the islands were built up into the present city, but the shape of the river remains, in a giant backward 'S' snaking through the city. There are no footpaths on either side of the Canal; houses open directly onto the canal. Most have their own small wharves.
If, in the beginning, the richest Venetian merchants built their houses on the Grand Canal out of necessity, it soon became the principal space to own--and display--a house along the waterway as a symbol of wealth and prestige. Noble families and the richest merchants competed in the building of palaces with embellished facades. The result is the great richness and variety of styles and typologies of buildings.
CHOOSING YOUR TOUR BOAT
NOTE: On the Grand
Canal, disabled travelers and wheelchairs can be accommodated on
vaporetto and motonavi but not on motoscafi.
No. 1 (accellerato),
which is actually the local, makes 14 stops between the train station
and San Marco (a 31-min. trip). It leaves every 10 minutes or so.
Vaporetto run to a tight schedule, with sailing times marked clearly at
stops for each line that ties up there. Regular services run from about
5 a.m. to shortly after midnight, after which a frequent night service
(N) follows the route taken by Line 82 during the day.
Also, before you leave from home
download the VAP MAP for $1.75. It
is a great tool because It’s current as
it’s an electronic document, able to be
updated as changes occur.
It’s handy: download, print, and fold
one into a size you can stash in a
wallet (Mini), pocket (Regular), or bag
(Large), to reference anytime you need
to find the route you need. Website
HERE
We took the No. 1 slow water taxi between vaporetto stop, near Piazza San Marco, to the train station (Ferrovia) in the north-west--it operates in both directions. The trip one way takes about half an hour and is worth the return trip to observe all of the interesting buildings on both sides of the canal. (Cost is around 6.5€ one way.). Tip: Try to get a seat at the bow or, if that is not possible, on the left side— The trick is making sure that you are first in line so that you can sit in the front. I think it is worth letting one bus go if the waiting line is long--wait for the next one and pick your favorite seat in the front of the boat.
START (OR END) YOUR GRAND CANAL TOUR SAN MARCO
Vaporetto stop: Vallaresso
(1) Look to your right as you stand on the Vallaresso dock facing the canal, the first notable building is Ca' Giustinian, in the late Gothic style of the 1470s. It is now the headquarters of Biennale, a cultural organization concerned with architecture, visual arts, cinema, dance, music and theater.
Ca'
Giustinian
(2) A little further on past Ca' Giustinian, is the narrow Gothic Palazzo Contarini Fasan (opposite the Salute stop), traditionally, but quite arbitrarily, known as Desdemona's house. (From Shakespeare's "Othello, the Moor of Venice.") The place where Othello kills his wife Desdemona, then kills himself as he falls on top of her!
Palazzo
Contarini Fasan
(3) The next palace we see looking in the same direction, is Palazzo Gritti, also known now as HOTEL GRITTI.
Palazzo
Gritti
Originally a gothic residence of the 15th century whose façade was enhanced by sculptures of Giorgione. It is incredible how beautiful this building and waterside is on the side of the Campo Santa Maria del Giglio. It belonged to the doge Andrea Gritti, multilingual and shrewd politician and successful military commander. A well beloved guest here was Somerset Maugham who wrote sitting on its terrace, "Few things are equally wonderful as sitting here, while the sun goes down and immerse the Canal in bright colors." Hemingway also was a "habitué" in this hotel.
(4) From here, we get a view across the canal that begins with the Dogana di Mare (Customs House, 1677) with its tower, gilded ball and weather vane figure of Fortune.
Dogana
di Mare (Customs House, 1677)
This wedge of land is at the entrance to the Grand Canal, and the Sea Customs Post Dogana di Mare is perched at the end. You can also see the church of Santa Maria dell Salute to the right.
We cross for our first stop at Salute--still looking to your right.
Vaporetto stop Salute (on the left)
(5) Connected to the Dogana di Mare is the Patriarchal Seminary, by Longhena (1671), next is the church of Santa Maria della Salute (See page on churches)
Santa
Maria della Salute
Europa
Hotel
(This was our view from our hotel balcony, The Europa, across the canal.)
(6) Left down the Dorsoduro side, the former abbey of San Gregorio is the first building beyond this stop, with a fine 14th century relief of St Gregory over a Gothic doorway.
Abby
of San Gregoria
(7) Next, Palazzo Salviati is a 19th century building with gaudy mosaics advertising the products of the Salviati glassworks. A relatively new house, it is a showcase for the Salviati family, who are Murano glassblowers.
Palazzo
Salviati
(8)
Next comes the pure, lopsided charm of the Renaissance Ca' Dario, built in 1740s.
• The famous tenor Mario Del Monaco seriously injured in a car accident
in 1964.
• Count delle Lanze in the 70’s who was murdered.
• The Croatian murderer of Count delle Lanze who was in turn murdered in
London.
• Christoper Lambert – the manager of The Who who committed suicide by
supposedly falling down stairs.
• Nicoletta Ferrari died in a suspicious car accident in the 80’s.
• Raul Gardini in the late 80’s committed suicide again under suspicious
circumstances
The building is currently owned by a large
American multinational and it is for sale. Interested? If you don’t believe in
haunted castles and palaces--make an offer! It has
been said that Woody Allen, often in Venice, wanted to buy it, but when he heard
about all the misery that happened to former owners--he changed his mind!
(9) Casa Artom, a beautiful two-story house in a residential neighborhood called Dorsoduro, faces the Grand Canal between the Peggy Guggenheim Museum (right) and Ca' Dario (left). It is now owned by a university.
In photo: Ca' Dario, Ca' Artom then Peggy Guggenheim Museum
(10) The single-storey Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, better known as the Palazzo Nonfinito (not finished palace) was the home of Art collector Peggy Guggenheim who lived here from 1949-79; she was the last person in Venice to have her own private gondola. The building now contains the Peggy Guggenheim Collection for contemporary masterpieces and sculpture. Guggenheim was an American who resided in the Palazzo; she and her dogs are buried out back in the sculpture garden.
Model
A model for the completed palace exists in the Museo Correr, Venice. Its magnificent classical façade would have matched that of Palazzo Corner, opposite the canal, with the triple arch of the ground floor (which is the explanation of the ivy-covered pillars visible today). We do not know precisely why this Venier palace was left unfinished. Money may have run out, or some say that the powerful Corner family living opposite blocked the completion of a building that would have been grander than their own.
We cross over to Santa Maria del Giglio
vaporetto stop, then off we go again up the Grand Canal towards the Rialto.
Vaporetto stop Santa Maria del Giglio (across canal on right)
(11)(12) The first palazzo we see on the right side is the Palazzo Corner, or Ca' Grande After one of the few Grand Canal gardens comes the bashful Casetta delle Rose, set back behind its own small trellised garden. Canova had a studio here.
Palazzo
Corner Ca' Grande
Palazzo Corner Ca'Grande is an impressive (Ca' Grande means big house!) Renaissance palazzo built by Sansovino for the wealthy Corner family between 1532 and 1561 (almost 30 years in construction!). The interior is sumptuous Bad tongues say that the Corner family built this impressive palace only to block the view of the Ca' Venier dei Leoni, (across the canal) house of their worst enemies.
(13) (14) On the left, after pretty Gothic Palazzo da' Mula (now for Sale) and the 16th century Palazzo Barbarigo. The building looks on to Campo San Vio, one of the few campi on the Grand Canal. In the corner is the Anglican church of St. George.
Palazzo da' Mula and Palazzo Barbarigo Monet's famous painting of it.
Palazzo Barbarigo was originally built in the 16th century. Today it is one of the more opulent palazzos on the canal, distinguished by its mosaics of Murano glass applied in 1886. Part of the Palazzo Barbarigo is today a showroom and shop of Murano glass. The proprietors, the Salviati family, who are Murano glassblowers, took their cue from the exterior mosaics on the facade of St Mark's Basilica.
When the mosaics were executed, the new owners were criticized by their aristocratic neighbors who said their taste was garish and out of keeping with the genteel decay of the neighboring buildings. However, it should be remembered that many of the Renaissance palazzos on the canal were once also covered in gilt decorations, with elaborateplaster andstucco embellishments.
(15) On the right, the second to last buildings before the Accademia Bridge, are a pair of adjoining palaces, the two adjacent Palazzo Barbaro buildings (grey facades). The one on the left was built in 1425--one of the least altered of the Gothic palaces of Venice and is the one owned (in part) by the Curtis family. The one on the right is more Baroque (possibly 16th or 17th century). They were formerly one of the homes of the patrician Barbaro family. The Palazzos are located on the Grand Canal of Venice, next to the Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti and not far from the Ponte dell'Accademia. The buildings are also known as the Palazzo Barbaro-Curtis.
Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti
Palazzi
Barbaro
(16) Next door is Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti, a striking Gothic-style building with a huge central gateway. The Archduke Frederick of Austria lived there in the 1800s; during the same period, a garden was created on the side of a former boatyard. The palace underwent drastic renovation at the end of the nineteenth century.
(17) On the left, Palazzo Loredan (now Cini), erected in the mid-sixteenth century, is set on the corner of the San Vio canal. It contains a valuable collection of Tuscan-Emilian paintings.
Palazzo Cini
Located halfway between the Accademia and the Guggenheim, the sixteenth-century palazzo formerly owned by the Caldagno and Valmarana families (its main facade overlooking San Vio) and the adjacent Palazzo Loredan (its side elevation fronting on the Grand Canal) were the residence of Count Vittorio Cini, a famous financier and patron of the arts.
Palazzo
Contarini dal Zaffo-Angaran
(18) Just before the Accademia Bridge on your left, you'll notice the lovely facade of Palazzo Contarini dal Zaffo-Angaran, a fine example of Venetian Lombard architecture. Today, it is a private residence, restored in 2000. The name retained, due to a member of the Giorgio Contarini family, Count of Jaffa.
Accademia Bridge
Vaporetto stop Accademia (on the left)
(20) Just past the bridge and just before the Rio San Vidal, on the right, we come upon Palazzo Giustiniai-Lolin (17th century), a large facade, connecting two gothic palaces.
Richard Wagner composed his second act of "Tristan und Isolde" here. Today it houses a foundation: "The Scuola di Musica Antica Venezia" where music students can perfect their skills, take part in the chamber music sessions and in group lectures.
(21) On the corner of the Rio di San Trovaso on the left, the Palazzo Contarini dagla Scrigni, is a double palace. The first scheduled by in 1610 by Vincenzo Scamozzi to enlarge the second. This second palace was refurbished in the 17th century by Francesco Smeraldi. The palazzo housed a fabulous painting collection, bequeathed in 1838 to the Accademia museum. Note the observatory on the roof.
Contarini
dagla Scrigni
(22) The Ca' del Duca on your right, incorporates in one corner a part of the base columns of a palace that Bartolomeo Bon was going to build for the Cornaro family.
Here is another palace which was never completed. Two undistinguished buildings were erected on the original foundation but had the original structure been completed, it would have been the largest private palace in the city. Tiziano had a workshop here in 1514. The variety of the sharply accented stonework of the basement and ground floor is in marked contrast to any building built in the city before this time. The basement level in most Venetian palaces was usually completely undecorated. Here it is composed of carefully marked Istrian stone blocks. In this detail the Ca' del Duca influenced a number of later palaces.
(23)
On your left, just before the Ca' Rezzonico stop is
the 15th century Palazzo Loredan (also shown in middle--the Palazzo Moro
is on the right) The Palazzo Loredan now houses the British
Vice-Consulate. This fifteenth century Gothic building is
notable for its pleasingly symmetrical architecture.
Ca'
Rezzonico
Ca'Rezzonico shown here is today a wonderful museum fitted on the inside with rooms decorated as they were at the height of the 17th Century.The museum retraces the Venetian life as it was in the 18th century. A lot of treasures, assembled since 1934, furniture, paintings and decorative objects found in numerous villas and Venetian palaces. You can visit a gigantic ballroom, enhanced by a series of remarkable architectural perspectives, a throne room with an admirable rococo ceiling painted by Tiepolo, the last of the great Venetian decorators. Casanova organized famous orgies, games, balls, masquerades here. The second floor opens on to private apartments, where the English poet JOHN BROWNING died.
Vaporetto Stop Santa Samuele (on the right)
(25) Beyond this stop is Palazzo Grassi on the right. This was the last of the great patrician palazzi, built in grand style by Giorgio Massari in 1748-72 when the city was in terminal decline,
for the Bolognese family. On the left side of the inner courtyard is a monumental staircase leading to the upper floors. The palace is now an arts centre where major exhibitions are mounted.
This palace was purchased in 1984 by the Fiat car company and beautifully restored by the famous architect Gae Aulenit. It stands out like a shining, magnificent example of what the entire Grand Canal once must have looked like. The year 2005, Fiat ran into financial difficulty had to sell the great Palazzo Grassi. It was picked-up by the Casino di Venezia - which means the city owns it. So we will have to wait to see if they can find a benefactor to maintain it and run the exhibitions that have made this palace so famous.
(26) On the left, after two smaller buildings come three magnificent mid-15th century Gothic palazzos. The first two are the Palazzi Giustinian (Wagner stayed here): the last and largest is Ca' Foscari.
Palazzo
Giustinian and Ca' Foscari
It's surely
one of the most known buildings in Venice, which can be found in every
travel guide. Unfortunately, it has lost much of its original splendor.
It was built by the doge Francesco Foscari, perhaps in the 1430s. In
1574, King Henry III of France was a guest in this palazzo. Together
with the Palazzo Giustiniani at the left, the palace constitutes the
largest gothic palace ensemble in the city and is situated in the
prominent position of the so-called "volta di Canal".
The building was being restored since 1997. It
is now owned by the University of Venice. In March, 2005 the scaffold
was removed from the main façade.
(27) (28) Situated on the curve of the canal, on the left, is Palazzo Balbi, believed to have been designed by Alessandro Vittoria in the late sixteenth century. Its ample proportions and exuberant decorations reflect the early Baroque style, and its picturesque location made it a popular subject for Venetian painters. On the opposite side of the canal, the right, is a handsome Renaissance building, designed by Lo Scarpagnino and known as Palazzo Contarini "Delle Figure" because carved figures, resembling cartoons, are placed over the doorways. The large middle window, framed by pillars and a gable in the classical style, is also of note. The building was famous for its extensive library and the fact that Palladio stayed there.
Palazzo Contarini dell Figure Palazzo Balbi
Vaporetto stop San Toma
(On the left)(29) Across from the S. Toma stop, around the curve on the right are the four Palazzi Mocenigo. The Palazzo Mocenigo is where Lord Byron wrote part of "Don Juan" in 1818.
Four
Palazzi Mocenigo
These are the
CASE DEL MOCENIGO, also called
PALAZZO MOCENIGO. The third one (counting from the right) was
occupied by Lady Mary Wortley Montague in the 18th century and by Byron
(as a plaque tells us) in the 19th. He hired the whole palace for 200
pounds a year. Spoiled by an army of servants, he wrote his poetry. His
stay had a dramatic end. After a big quarrel, threatening with knives,
his housekeeper with whom he had an affair jumped into the Grand Canal.
The palace was owned by the illustrious family Mocenigo, who gave seven
doges to Venice! The last heir, Alviso Nicolo Mocenigo, bequeathed it to
the city in 1954.
A visit has a double interest: it has a
sumptuous collection of costumes and fabrics, but also gives you an idea
how a Venetia palace looked in the 18th because none of the furniture
and decorations has been touched since.
(30) A little way beyond the stop and on your left is the palazzo Pisani Moretta, a large palazzo of the 15th century; a vast building in the Flamboyant Gothic style. Ranged across its two main floors are graceful pointed-arch and five-light mullioned windows, behind which the flicker of candlelight and the brilliant glare of Murano chandeliers may often be glimpsed in the evenings.
Palazzo Pisani Moretta's
façade stands today virtually unaltered from its original construction, and it is one of the few palaces still occupied by the descendants of the original owners. If we could choose to see the interior of only one privately owned palace, this would be it, with it's sumptuous decoration and original Murano glass chandeliers which have never been wired for electricity.The last Pisani-Moretta did not have a male successor, but three daughters. Today, the palazzo is property of the Sammartini family and can be rented for congresses.
(31) Palazzo Barbarigo della Terrazza takes its name from its spacious first-floor terrace.
Palazzo
Barbarigo della Terrazza
(32) A little way ahead is Palazzo Bernardo, an interesting example of Gothic architecture.
Palazzo
Bernardo
The palace, built in the 16th century, only
has a wing with two window axis - equivalent to
one room - on the Grand Canal. Its main façade
with a loggia of four round arches in the noble
floors is on the Rio de San Polo. Contrary to
the Canal Grande wing, the windows of the first
floor windows are still higher than those of the
second one. A large terrace, which gives the
palace its name and occupies a considerable
percentage of the building area of about 1100
square meters, can be accessed from the first
floor. Formerly it was a Hanging Garden, which
was abandoned during the restoration in 1969/70.
While both water façades have a large portal,
the access from the city's path networks is
provided by a small lane, which also makes
accessible the adjacent Palazzo Pisani-Moretta.
A small light courtyard can be found on the
north side of the palace.
In the 19th century,
the building passed to a branch of the
Giustinian family. During this time, most of the
rich art collections (paintings by Titian,etc.)
were sold, especially to Russia. Some immobile
decoration as frescoes above interior doors,
painted 16th century beam ceilings and friezes
with portraits of Doges in the chapel and the
chimney hall overlooking the Grand Canal have
outlived. The palace is partially inhabited by a
branch of the Loredan family.
(33) On the left,
just beyond the Rio San Polo on left is the 16th century Palazzo
Cappello Layard.
Sir Henry Layard of Nineveh, archaeologist and scholar, bought the
palace in the 19th century and compiled a rich collection of art. Crests
of the Cappello and Bembo families can be found on the façade. It now
houses a university.
(Left to right) Palazzo Cappello Layard, Marcello Palazzo Grimani, Palazzo Querini Dubois, Bernard Palace
Vaporetto stop Sant'Angelo (on the right)
(34) Next on the right just after the S. Angelo stop is the small-scale Palazzo Corner Spinelli, built in the last decade of the 15th century by Mauro Codussi. It is one of the most beautiful early Renaissance buildings in Venice.
Palazzo
Corner Spinelli
Like the
other palace on the Grand Canal by Mauro Codussi, the
Palazzo Loredan Vendramin Calergi, built soon after 1500,
the Palazzo Corner Spinelli in the parish of S. Angelo has
the double arched windows and rustic stonework on the ground
floor named after the architect.
(35) Keeping on the right, three palazzi further on stands the pink Palazzo Benzon, home of Countess Marina Querini-Benzon, a great society figure at the end of the 18th century.
(36) Next, still on the right side, and at the estuary of the canal Rio d. S. Luca, another High Renaissance building Palazzo Grimani, by Sanmicheli. The façade is decorated with polychrome marble. Actually, now the home of the Appeals Court.
Palazzo
Grimani
Vaporetto stop San Silvestro (on the left)
(37)(38)(39) Palazzo Farsetti and Palazzo Loredan on the right are Veneto-Byzantine buildings that now house the Town Hall and various municipal offices. The two graceful little Gothic palaces (Dandolo and Bembo) next to them have been sacrificed to the tourist industry (Hotels).
Palazzi
Farsetti and Loredan
These two adjoining palazzi are among the few surviving examples of the 12th century Venetian houses. The two small but beautiful palaces are separated by an alleyway and squeezed between more important palazzi.
(40) On the right side of the canal, (known as Riva del Carbon because boats carrying coal used to moor here) is Palazzo Barzizza (center), on the façade of which fragments of the original Veneto-Byzantine decorations (12th-13th century) are still visible. The Barzizza family, who gave the name to the palace, acquired the building in the 18th century. Those who built the palace are unknown. The current owners are descendants of the architect Torres, who bought the palace at the begin of the 20th century.
(left to right) Palazzo Lanfranchia'Gauche, Palazzo Barzizza, Palazzo Chiurotto
(41) Just before the Rialto stop on the right is Palazzo Manin Dolfin, with a portico straddling the landing space. The facade is by Sansovino (late 1530s); the rest was rebuilt by Ludovico Manin, the forlorn last Doge of Venice. It now belongs to the Bank of Italy.
Rialto Bridge
(42) At the foot
of the left side of the Rialto
Bridge is the Palazzo dei Dieci Savi, a Renaissance work built by Lo
Scarpagnino in the early sixteenth century which housed the city's
tax-inspectors. Tourist stalls and kiosks are all over in this
area.
(43) Beyond the Rialto Bridge on the left, the Palazzo dei Camerlenghi (1523-5) is built around the curve of the Canal; the walls lean noticeably. It houses the finance department.
Palazzo
dei Camerlenghi
On the left next to the Rialto Bridge, this nice, intense yellow palazzo, the Palazzo dei Camerlenghi is the ancient home of the "Camerlenghi" (treasurers) of the city. They were in charge of the city finances and other legal matters and operated a jail in the 16th century for people with unsolvable money problems.
(44) Across the canal on the left is the small Church of San Giacomo di Rialto (known affectionately as San Giacometto) is generally agreed to be the oldest church in Venice (5th century). It was rebuilt in the 12th century and restored in 1531 and 1601.of the city's churches. Tradition has it that it was founded in AD 421.
Church
of San Giacomo di Rialto
All around it stretch the markets, around which commercial and administrative buildings and areas of low-cost housing for the traders mushroomed after trade was shifted from the other side of the canal. The larger streets and squares are named after the merchandise that is still sold there (Naranzeria - oranges; Casaria - cheese; Speziali - spices; Erberia - vegetables)
(45) Further along past the foot of the bridge on the right, is the Fondaco dei Tedeschi (today the main post office). It was a huge residence/warehouse leased to the German community from the 13th century on. After burning down in 1505 it was rebuilt by Spavento and Lo Scarpangino; although the façade is now rather austere, it once bore vividly colored frescoes by Giorgione and (on the side wall overlooking the rio) the young Titian. A succession of handsome buildings leads to Ca' Da Mosto.
Fondaco dei Tedeschi on left with Palazzo dei Camerlenghi on right after passing under the Rialto Bridge
(46) A succession of handsome buildings leads to the Ca' da Mosto on the right, past the Rio di S.G. Crisostomo canal, once the site of the Leon Bianco (white lion) hotel. It is one of the earliest Veneto-Byzantine palazzi on the Grand Canal and was Venice's best-known inn, the "White Lion," where many illustrious guests lodged.
Ca'
da Mosto
The famous navigator
Alvise da Mosto was supposed to have been born in the palace. From the
17th to the early 19th century, the palace served as the "Albergo Leon
Bianco (white lion hotel)." The da Mosto, who did not build the palace,
owned it from the mid of the 13th century until 1554.
The brickwork on the water floor is severely
damaged. The palace's condition regularly causes criticism in the
Venetian press.
Fabbriche
Vecchie (Lo Scarpagnino)
(47) On the left side of the canal are the Fabbriche Vecchie (Lo Scarpagnino, early 16th century) and the Fabbriche Nuove (Sansovino, 1525 - 1555), which served as offices for the magistrates who supervised trading activities. This is where you'll find, after the Fabbriche Vecchie and Fabbriche Nuove, the vegetable market and fish market.
Palazzo
Mangilli Valmarana
(48) Just beyond the rio dei Santi Apostoli on the right is Palazzo Mangilli Valmarana, built in 1751 for Joseph Smith, the British consul, who amassed the huge collection of Canaletto paintings that now belongs to the Queen. The building is now the Argentinian Consulate.
Ca'
d'Oro
(Golden House)
(49) Once past the two Michiel Palaces, you will see ahead Ca' d'Oro.
Vaporetto stop ca' d'Oro (on the right)
(50) Beyond the vaporetto stop on the right is the Ca' d'Oro itself, the most gorgeously ornate Gothic building on the Canal. Ca' d'Oro (Golden House), so called because its delicate, ornate facade was once entirely gilded, is one of the most admired examples of Venetian Gothic in the city. Today it houses the Galleria Franchetti with its spectacular collection of art, sculpture and tapestries. The interiors, and above all, the courtyard are of great architectural interest. The courtyard opens with a gothic gate where a covered stairway leads to the first floor. Ca' Pesaro (17th century) is an equally arresting sight.
(51) On the left side of the canal is the eye-catching Ca' Corner della Regina with a rusticated ground floor featuring grotesque masks, some just above water level. This impressive 17th Century mansion was so-named because its owners were descendents of the queen (Regina) of Cyprus.
Palazzo
Corner della Regina
Palazzo Fontana
(
52) Back on the right once more is Palazzo Fontana, just up from Ca' d'Oro(53) On the left, and with a magnificent side wall curving along the canal in gleaming marble, is Ca' Pesaro, a splendid example of Venetian baroque by Longhena. This immense Baroque building now houses museums of modern and oriental art.
The Ca' Pesaro, by Baroque architect Baldassare Longhena. Note the side facade view, looking toward the Grand Canal. It is irregularly curved to follow the canal bordering its side.
Vaporetto stop San Stae (on the left)
Church
of San Stae
(54) The church of San Stae on your left has a baroque facade by Domenico Rossi, with high-spirited sculpture.
(55) Further on left, Depositi del Megio (foreground). A construction typical of the 15th century with exposed brickwork, small marble-lintelled windows and lacy crenellations crowning the top. It was used as a warehouse for foodstuffs by the government and at the present the premises are used as a school.
Depositi
del Megio
(56) Next--(left) (across from the casino) on the other side of the Rio del Megio stands the Fontego dei Turchi, a 19th century reconstruction of the original Veneto-Byzantine building, which was leased to Turkish traders in the 17th century as a residence and warehouse.
The Fondaco dei Turchi
(57) On the right side before the S. Marcuola stop, is the
Palazzo Vendramin Calergi. The city-run gambling casino in the splendid Palazzo Vendramin-Calergi is a classic scene of well-dressed high-rollers playing French roulette, Caribbean poker, chemin de fer, 30-40, and slots. You must be 18 to enter, and men must wear jackets.(58) Beyond the wide Cannaregio Canal, in back of the Church of San Geremia, is Palazzo Labia, the 18th century home of the seriously rich Labia family (Tiepolo frescoes)
Palazzo
Labia
Church
of San Geremia
The church was built in the eleventh century, rebuilt in the thirteenth century, and consecrated in the 1292. The bell-tower made with bricks survived, while the facade is clearly from the nineteenth century. The interior has a Greek plan - clearly inspired from the model of Salute Church.
Palazzo
Flangini (center)
(60) On your right, next to the church, you will notice a Baroque building, Palazzo Flangini. Palazzo Flangini is a 17th century building by Sardi. Once the area was graced by numerous palaces containing valuable art collections and there were gardens and old monasteries.
(61) All that remains, however, are Palazzo
Calbo Crotta also on the right
next to the Scalzi Bridge (the source of most of the rococo furniture at
Ca' Rezzonico)
Palazzo Calbo Crotta (view from west)
The Scalzi Bridge
(62) At the foot of the Ponte degli Scalzi on the right, is the fine baroque facade of the Scalzi church, recently restored.
Degli
Scalzi
Designed by Baldassarre Longhena, the building was completed in 1689 and consecrated in 1705. The façade is one of the most well-designed examples of Venetian Baroque. In the great vault there was a wonderful "fresco" by G.B.Tiepolo but an Austrian bomb in the first world war destroyed it.
Vaporetto stop Ferrovia (train station)
We are now at the Fondamenta S. Lucia (Train Station in Piazzale Roma, an area that has changed radically over the past two centuries. The boat has reached its final stop, but there's nothing to prevent you from sitting tight and going back to San Marco along the same spellbinding route.
