Doge's Palace (Palazzo ducale)

Major sights in Venice

Masterpiece of the gothic art, Palazzo Ducale is an impressive structure of layers of constructive and ornamental elements: from its ancient bases from the 1300's to the renaissance additions.

It is formed by three big parts that had put together the old constructions: the wind that to the South is the oldest and contains the Sala del Maggior Consiglio; the wing that faces the Square, ex Palazzo di Giustizia, contains the Sala dello Scrutinio; and the Renaissance wing hosts the Doge's residence and many government offices.

Entrance, through Porta del Frumento, takes to the courtyard, from which the four wings can be accessed. The small marble facade with the clock dates back from 1615. In the center of the courtyard are located two bronze wells from middle of the 16th Century. The two oldest wings of the palace present simple facades, and the renaissance wind shows a rich decoration completed with the Giant's Stairway, ancient honor entrance, with the two impressive statues of Mars and Neptune, sculpted by Sansovino on 1565, symbol of the power of Venice in the land and the sea.

The stair, ideated by Antonio Rizzo, is next to the Arc ordered by Doge Francesco Foscari, with strips of Istria's rocks and Verona's red marble, linked to the Porta della Carta (The name for the gateway probably derives from the fact that this was where public scribes used to offer their services, or from the nearby location of the 'cartarum') through the Foscari entrance hall. To the right of the stairway is located the 1500's Cortile dei Senatori, where senators waited before government meetings. In the same wing, on the other side, is located the big Scala dei Censori, the stair from which the visit trail through the upper floors is began.

In the ground floor are hosted the Museo dell'Opera (Opera Museum), the area of the old kitchens and the seat of the temporary exhibitions. The Opera Museum, called Fabbriceria or Procuratoria, was a technical office for the palace maintenance and management of changes and restorations. The Museum hosts in six rooms the ancient architectonic pieces of the palace, including the capitals that were substituted by copies in an important restoration on 1875.

The first floor, called Piano delle Logge, includes entrance to the east, south and west wings, with splendid vies of the courtyard and the Piazzetta San Marco. In this floor are hosted today some public offices.
From here, trail proceeds to the Scala d'Oro through the Renaissance wing; this wing hosted the offices of many magistratures. On the wall are located some lion's mouths, in which crime or embezzlements declarations; this papers ended in the wood box opened from the office to which notes were addressed. Here are also located two plaques: the first from the 1300's, from Urban V papacy, that promises indulgences to whoever made charity to prisoners; the other was created by Alessandro Vittoria to celebrate the visit to Venice of Henry IIII from France on 1574. The access to the Scala d'Oro is decorated by marbles created by Tiziano Aspetti, representing Atlas holding the heaven and Hercules killing the Hydra.

The apartments of the Doge are located in the area of the Palace between the Rio della Canonica (aquatic entrance), the Scala d'Oro and the apse of the Basilica of San Marco. The basic nucleus of the apartment was a prestigious but small house, considering that the rooms closest to the Scala d'Oro were used for an intermediate function between the private life of the doge and their public functions. The doge retired to the private zone of the apartment at the end of the journey for dinner and to pass some time with the members of his family.

Between the Piano delle Logge and the second floor, from the Atro Quadrato, are located the Stanze Istituzionali, where the politic and administrative life of the Republic was conducted. Here are hosted the rooms of the main government components: the Maggior Consiglio, the Senato, the Collegio, and the most important justice magistratures, from the Consiglio dei Dieci to the Quarantie. In all the rooms, the decoration celebrates the virtue of the State and its functions.

The Doge's Palace, seat of all the government institutes of the Republic, including Justice, hosting also the prisons. From the second part of the 1500's, it was decided to construct a new building in the other side of the river, entirely dedicated to prison functions. The construction of the New Prisions had the purpose of improving the life conditions of the prisiones with bigger cells, with more light and air.
Each cell was coated, following the tradition, with larch wood layers crossed and nailed down along the walls, the roof and the ceiling. The New Prisons represented one of the first examples of an isolated construction dedicated to State prison.

The visit continues with the two lower floors and the prisons courtyard, where a trail has been set up showing a ceramic collection from the archaeological excavations of the zone. This trail is then linked to the Ponte dei Sospiri and the Sala dei Censori.

The rooms of the Armeria formed today a precious museum of arms and ammunitions. Its nucleus dates back to the 16th Century, and, in the Republican times, it was under custody of the Consiglio dei Dieci and it was characterized by war instruments ready for the use by the squires of the palace, and the arsenalotti, very qualified and organized. The arms collection was partially lost after the end of the Republic, and it has today more that two thousand pieces.

 

Visit the official website of the Doge's Palace in Venice