The Palazzo Ducale in Venice
Author: SerenaPalazzo Ducale (the Ducal Palace), built near the San Marco basilica, wasn’t only the residence of the Doge of Venice but also the seat of the urban government, of the Court and of prisons. It is considered the symbol of the city representing its power and its beauty. This palace was built during the IXth century even if it assumed its current shape during the Renaissance: it is considered the masterpiece of the Venetian Gothic art because it is ornamented with refined decorations, allegorical symbols, capitals and sculptures.
The Palazzo Ducale
Its façades are covered with white and pink marbles and at the first floor you can admire a very elegant Gothic open-work loggia. At its corners there are sculpted groups in high-relief. Once inside, at the first floor, rooms walls are painted and their wood ceiling is ornamented with paintings by Jacopo Tintoretto. You will continue your visit in the Sala delle Quattro Porte (the Four Doors Room) that hedges in a painting by Tiziano.
Sala delle Quattro Porte
In the Sala Del Collegio (the Room of the College) you can admire the paintings by Tintoretto and on the carved ceiling there is some panels by the Veronese.
Sala del Collegio
The following one is the Sala del Consiglio dei Dieci (the Rooms of the Ten Ones Council) and that of the Tre Capi del Consiglio dei Dieci (Three Heads of the Ten Ones Council) where the ceilings are curved and gilt.
Sala Del Consiglio Dei Dieci
The last room you will visit is the Sala del Maggior Consiglio (The Major Council Room): here you can admire many paintings and a decoration representing 76 portraits of the Venetian Dogi by Tintoretto. At the centre of the ceiling there is the “Apoteosi di Venezia” by the Veronese.
Sala Del Maggior Consiglio
The Ducal Palace, together with the San Marco basilica, is the symbol of Venice. Here there was all the political organization of the city.
From 1996 this palace is part of the Musei Civici Veneziani (Venetian Civic Museums). Today, with its elegance and magnificence, the Ducal Palace still reminds to everybody the important political role played by the glorious Venetian Republic.
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