Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP SIGHT
PALAZZO DUCALE
Don't be fooled by its genteel Gothic elegance: behind that lacy, pink-chequered
facade, the doge's palace shows serious muscle and a steely will to survive. The seat of
Venice's government for nearly seven centuries, this powerhouse stood the test of
storms, crashes and conspiracies - only to be outwitted by Casanova, the notorious se-
ducer who escaped from the attic prison.
Exterior
After fire gutted the original palace in 1577, Venice considered Palladio's offer to build one
of his signature neoclassical temples in its place. Instead, Antonio da Ponte won the com-
mission to restore the palace's Gothic facade with white Istrian stone and Veronese pink
marble. Da Ponte's Palazzo effortlessly mixes past with present and business with pleasure,
capping a graceful colonnade with medieval capitals depicting key Venetian guilds. The
log-
