Everyone is familiar with the images of the magnificent palazzi along the Grand Canal. They line the canal on both sides like a string of precious pearls. Here, you’ll discover the most beautiful palazzi through words and pictures. Enjoy the panoramic tour and find out in advance what you should focus on during your visit to Venice.
Here, you'll learn about only the most important, best-known, and most beautiful palazzi. If this guidebook covered all 200 palaces, it would be far too cumbersome. Besides, you'd be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and tips. That's why we're focusing on the most beautiful and best-known ones.
A Ride on the Vaporetto Along the Grand Canal
By far the largest part of the Grand Canal is NOT accessible on foot. With the exception of a few meters to the right and left of the Rialto Bridge, where you can walk along a narrow riverside path, you'll need to take a boat ride through the canal to enjoy the sights and palazzi.
You can choose from 3 options:
- The Panorama Tour on a private water taxi just for you
- A guided tour on an Ali Laguna boat
- An ACTV vaporetto (public transit)
No matter which option you choose, it's sure to be a memorable experience.
Brenta: The canal is the final stretch of the Brenta River. If you look closely, you'll see that the water in the canal always moves very slowly. The Grand Canal is 4 kilometers long and between 30 and 70 meters wide.
A total of about 200 palazzi line both sides of the canal. Here, you’ll learn about only the most beautiful and interesting ones. We’ve also deliberately omitted the endless list of previous owners and dates.
Basic Facade Layout
The layout of the facade already gives a pretty good indication of a palace's purpose:
Water floor: Since all the palazzi are built on the water on numerous wooden piles, the ground floor is often also Water floor ... This deck is usually open, making it better suited for transporting goods to the ships.
Mezzanine: A half-story or mezzanine with a lower ceiling height. It is usually used for bookkeeping or as a servant's quarters.
Portego: The first floor is almost always the Piano nobile with typical multi-paned windows. Behind them is usually the Portego, the palace's grand hall. To the left and right of it are smaller rooms for private use
Second floor: Also, a second piano nobile, Portego windows
Attic: For staff and the kitchen; often lower. On the right side of the picture.
Use of Space: Several windows on the first or second floor arranged side by side, or a loggia, always indicate a large reception room inside. The individual side windows to the right or left of these are usually private rooms.
Piano nobile, Second piano nobile
Translation: Piano = floor, Nobile = noble, aristocratic, distinguished
The elegant, refined floor, often called the "bel étage" in French, is usually the main floor of a house. This floor houses the most important living rooms and bedrooms. It is usually the first floor and is therefore located above the ground floor.
Since houses in Venice have NO basements, the ground floor usually consists only of the entrance hall, smaller rooms (service rooms), and the staircase leading to the first floor, which is elegantly furnished. This is particularly important in Venice, as it prevents moisture from penetrating this floor.
You can also recognize the „piano nobile“ from the outside by its large windows, balconies, and open loggias.
A Second Piano Nobile: Secondo piano nobile
Many palazzi have a second „noble floor“ above the first floor. This floor contains rooms of a more private nature—bedrooms, etc.—as you can see in the picture showing the Ca‘ d’Oro in Venice.
Both the piano nobile and the secondo piano nobile are usually used as private quarters for the owners' family.
The Blasted Gable
A broken gable is a gable whose center is not closed but open (broken). This central section appears unfinished and looks „broken.“ However, it can be embellished with various decorative elements.
It is used primarily in Baroque architecture. As shown in the picture, it is often used as a decorative gable, or as a crowning element or canopy above windows, doors, or entrance portals. The picture shows an example of such a split gable, as can be seen above the portal of the Church of S. Stae.
Tracery
The intricate work of stonemasons who carve windows, balustrades, balconies, or wall surfaces is called tracery. In many geometric patterns, the stone is completely cut away, giving it the appearance of a stone skeleton. tracery was used primarily during the Gothic period. In that era, it was one of the most important design features on balustrades, walkways, galleries, and spires.
More delicate stone structures were often reinforced with iron dowels to increase stability, since mortar alone was often insufficient. The holes in the stone where the iron dowels are inserted are filled with lead. The tracery on the exterior is, of course, heavily exposed to the elements. This is especially true in Venice, since the salt from the lagoon is also present in the air there.
Architectural Periods
Venice was founded in the year 421. Since then, the city has undergone numerous architectural eras, which you can still clearly see today.
The „official“ date of its founding is March 25, 421. Today, however, it is generally believed that the lagoon was not settled until the 7th century A.D., not the 5th century. March 25 was likely chosen because it is the Feast of the Annunciation, with which Venice has a VERY close connection.
The Lagoon as a Foundation for a House
The photo shows a view of the Venetian Lagoon. This is exactly what it looked like in the past, before the first houses were built. Venice consists of many small islands separated from one another by narrow waterways. Even today, you can still recognize the original lagoon landscape in them. The former waterways are now the numerous canals that crisscross Venice. Into the often sandy, unstable ground—as you can see here in the picture—many wooden piles were driven, and the houses were built on top of them.
Although they vary considerably in size, most palazzi share a common architectural style: a dominant central section flanked by right and left wings.
The red marble comes mainly from Verona (red marble), and the white limestone marble comes from Istria.
Map showing the left and right locations
The plan is from http://www.OpenStreetMap.org – © OpenStreetMap contributors
On the map, you can see the main sights along the southern section of the Grand Canal between St. Mark's Square and the Accademia Bridge. The order of the descriptions follows the vaporetto route along the canal, which begins at St. Mark's Square and heads toward the train station.
Left – Right: The directions from the right or left also refer to the direction your boat is traveling, starting at St. Mark’s Square and heading toward the train station. Enjoy the impressive atmosphere of the beautiful palazzi and the bustling activity of the boats on the canal, and imagine how merchant ships used to bring their goods to the merchants.
Left: Punta della Dogana at the entrance to the Grand Canal
Venice's old customs house, built in 1677, is now an art museum. Its triangular shape separates the Grand Canal to the north from the Giudecca Canal to the south. At the tip of the triangle stands the Dogana da Mar
In the past, starting in the early 15th century, all goods arriving in the city by sea were cleared through customs, stored here, and transferred to smaller ships so that they could be transported through the narrow canals to all parts of the city.
Notice the two slaves at the very top of the building holding a golden sphere. On top of the sphere, Fortuna, the weather vane, spins in the wind.
Today, the Punta della Dogana is a museum of contemporary art in Venice. The works of art from the François Pinault Foundation are on display here. It is one of the largest collections of contemporary art in the world.
Right: Hotel Bauer Palazzo
The building on the left in the picture is the Bauer Palazzo. The hotel also includes the „De Pisis Restaurant.“ On the left side of the picture, in front of the hotel, is a miniature Statue of Liberty. To the right of the Bauer Palazzo hotel, the building with the colorful flags is the late-Gothic Palazzo Giustinian a San Moisè. That is the headquarters of the Biennale.
The hotel's website is: http://www.bauervenezia.com/
Left: Santa Maria della Salute
Right behind the Dogana da Mar, at the entrance to the Canal Graden, stands the votive church of Santa Maria della Salute.
Votive = vow. Votive churches are churches built as an expression of gratitude or in response to a prayer that was answered, for the fulfillment of a specific wish. It was built in the Baroque style. Its dome is a landmark of Venice visible from afar. Particularly striking are the huge spiral volutes (curved ornaments).
Doge Nicolò Contarini vowed to the Madonna that he would build a church in gratitude for the end of the plague in 1630. Construction on the church lasted a total of 50 years. The church has an octagonal floor plan, with two domes and two bell towers, and is entirely clad in marble.
1.000.000 The Salute is said to be built on over a million tree trunks, each four meters long.
On the large dome stands the Immaculata, the Immaculate Mother of God—immaculata—surrounded by twelve stars from the Book of Revelation; on the smaller dome is a statue of Saint Mark. Compared to the magnificent exterior, the interior of the church is rather austere. However, be sure to take note of the marble floor and take a look at the main altar: a small cherub, at the intervention of the Mother of God, drives away the Plague of Venice, depicted as an old, hideous woman.
Right: Palazzo Contarini Fasan
The Palazzo Contarini Fasan is often referred to as the ‚Casa di Desdemona.‘ Although it is not as tall or wide as some other grandiose palaces, it is nonetheless remarkable for its exquisite, delicate decoration. „Desdemona“ means „the one pursued by fate“—that is the meaning of her name—and she is the wife of Othello in Shakespeare’s tragedy of the same name, *Othello*, which both Rossini and Verdi set to music.
Take note of the large coats of arms and the particularly beautiful balconies. The Tracery on the balcony The fish-bladder ornaments are a one-of-a-kind feature in Venice.
Right: Palazzo Gritti
The Palazzo Pisani Gritti is a Gothic palace. Like many other palaces in Venice, its canal-facing facade once featured frescoes that have since been lost—which is a shame, since none other than Paolo Veronese himself had painted them in the 16th century.
Noteworthy are the two wide side sections to the left and right of the five-part loggia. You can clearly see the first piano nobile and the second piano nobile.
The ground floor turned out to be very low and now serves as a terrace with a magnificent view of the Grand Canal. Today, it houses the luxury hotel Gritti Palace.
The hotel's website is: http://www.thegrittipalace.com/de
Right: Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto
Would you like to experience an opera in a small venue where you're practically sitting right in the middle of the stage and can experience everything up close? For example, Verdi's opera *La Traviata*?
Then Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto is the perfect place for you. It's the tall white building in the center of the picture. Here's the link to the website: http://www.musicapalazzo.com
Please note that all the palazzi along the Grand Canal are lined up in a row, and (almost) none of them juts out into the canal any further than the others. As a result, the canal almost looks like a river, with the palazzi strung along its banks like a string of pearls.
Right: Palazzo Corner della Ca‘ Granda (Prefecture)
You can immediately tell that the owners of this monumental Renaissance palace (the Corner family) were among the wealthiest in the city. During its construction, special care was taken to ensure that it appeared imposing and majestic. The name Ca’ Granda (Big House) also reflects this. It towers significantly above the neighboring houses. Also noteworthy are the oval skylights, which were later copied many times throughout Venice.
Today, following a thorough renovation, it serves as the seat of the prefecture and the provincial government offices. (Prefettura – Ufficio Territoriale del Governo di Venezia)
As a general rule, flags displayed on a building's facade always indicate that the building is a public building belonging to the City of Venice, the Region of Venice, or the courts. There are almost always at least three flags: the flag of the City of Venice, the flag of Italy, and the flag of the European Union.
The link to the homepage is: http://www.prefettura.it/venezia/multidip/index.htm
Left: Palazzo Venier dei Leoni (Guggenheim Museum)
Construction of the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni began in the second half of the 18th century and, unfortunately, was never completed. It’s not entirely clear why—it’s conceivable that the Corners, who lived on the opposite side of the Grand Canal, were anything but interested in seeing the tallest palace on the Grand Canal go up right under their noses —you can admire a model of this colossus at the Museo Correr on St. Mark’s Square—which would have blocked their view and suddenly made their own palace seem small by comparison.
The name „dei Leoni“ comes from the two stone lion statues on either side of the terrace facing the Grand Canal. Rumor has it that the Veniers once kept a real lion in their garden. Since 1949, this palace has housed the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Museum in Venice. She herself lived in this house until her death in 1979. It’s about a 16-minute walk from St. Mark’s Square.
The museum's website is: http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/inglese/default.html
Left: Ca‘ Dario
Palazzo Dario, or Ca‘ Dario, is one of the most beautiful and famous palaces in Venice. With the exception of the facade facing the Grand Canal, the palace itself is built in the typical Italian Gothic style. This style is very common in Venice. The facade facing the Grand Canal, however, is distinctly Renaissance; instead of the pointed-arch windows typical of the Gothic style, the windows and doors feature round arches. Also note the tall chimneys in the typical Venetian style.
Ca’ Dario is Venice’s ultimate house of horrors—every owner of the palace from the 15th to the 21st century has suffered some kind of tragedy: suicide, murder, bankruptcy… were all commonplace here.
The palace is privately owned. It is NOT open to the public.
Left: The Palazzo Barbarigo
This palace, with its many colorful mosaics, immediately catches your eye. You can see the ground floor and the two piano nobile. Unfortunately, the building is in the shade for most of the day, making it difficult to photograph.
It was built during the Renaissance. The colorful mosaics on the facade are much more durable and not as susceptible to weathering as frescoes. The Duden dictionary defines a fresco as: „A painting executed on fresh, still-damp plaster.“ See www.duden.de
The mosaic on the left side of the building's facade shows: Charles I (or V) of Spain is in Titian's workshop
The mosaic on the right side of the building's facade depicts Henry III of France with Doge Alvise Mocenigo in a glassblowing workshop in Murano.
Left: Palazzo Contarini Polignac
The Palazzo Contarini Polignac is an important Early Renaissance palace. The architect was likely Giovanni Buora. Note the facade, which is clad entirely in marble. The three stories are clearly distinguishable: the ground floor, the piano nobile, and the second piano nobile.
Claude Monet painted the palace several times from a gondola. One of the paintings was sold in 2013 for 19,682,500 GBP. Almost nothing remains of the facade’s original gilding. Ever since the palace came into the possession of Winarett, the heiress of the Singer sewing machine company, in the 19th century, there have been four antique pianos and grand pianos here, which are still used today during musical events at the palace.
Right: Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti
This Neo-Gothic palace (on the left in the photo) stands right next to the Ponte dell’Accademia. The palace, which is Gothic in its original structure, was rebuilt in the 19th century based on designs by the architect Camillo Boito, who—as was not at all uncommon in his day—believed that he could actually build Gothic palaces much better than the master builders of the Gothic era were capable of. For this reason, he largely removed the old structure and rebuilt it in the Gothic style.
It is a very popular and well-known photo subject. From the bridge, the palace, together with the Grand Canal and the imposing Church of Santa Maria della Salute, offers a very popular and particularly beautiful view of Venice. You’re sure to notice the especially beautiful boat landing with its red-and-white posts right away.
Since 1999, the palace has served as the headquarters of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, a Venetian scientific and cultural institution. In 2003, the WHO European Office for Health and Development was also opened here.
Left: Galleria dell’Accademia
Today, the Accademia is the world’s most important museum of Venetian painting. The Pinacoteca (art gallery) is housed in a complex of various buildings: the old church of Santa Maria della Carità, the adjoining Lateran monastery of the same name, and the building of the former confraternity, the Scuola of Santa Maria della Carità.
Since the end of the Republic, when Napoleon had closed the church, monastery, and brotherhood, the complex has served as the headquarters of the Academy of Fine Arts. Since the early 20th century, it has functioned as a museum open to the public, showcasing Venetian paintings from the 14th through the 18th centuries.
There are only four bridges in total that cross the Grand Canal. One of them, the Ponte dell’Accademia, was named after the museum. The bridge is a fine example of just how durable temporary structures can be, for this wooden version is nothing more than a replacement for the original cast-iron bridge that the Austrians had built at this site in the 19th century, but whose load-bearing parts rusted in the 20th century, leading to its temporary replacement with wood …
The Art Academy's website is: http://www.gallerieaccademia.org
This page was created with special support from Dr. Susanne Kunz-Saponaro, an officially certified tour guide for Venice. If you are interested in a guided tour of Venice, please visit her website: http://www.stadtfuehrungen-venedig.de