An extraordinary home which fits perfectly into the magical context of the city where it is located. The exceptional nature of Venice with it’s rich history and many influences is well represented by the works of the great masters such as Tiziano, Giorgione and Veronese.
Travelling from the Ponte di Rialto in the direction of the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari we pas a large square made famous for it’s Gothic palazzi, the procession of the Carneval and the open air film projections during the Venetian Film Festival.
The heart of the city is the Piazza San Marco. The celebrated Basilica located in the centre is decorated with gold and mosaics which tell the story of Venice together with the amazing bas-reliefs which mark the months of the year. Above the main door the four bronze horses of Costantinopoli (the originals are housed in the museum of San Marco) commemorate the fourth Crusade of 1204. The cathedral’s shape is modelled on the Greek cross above which tower the five enormous domes. It is the third Basilica dedicated to San Marco, the first two were destroyed.
The Palazzo Ducale rises at the side of the Basilica: the Porta della Carta joins them, a wonderful work by Bartolomeo Bon which today is the exit of Palazzo Ducale. Home to the ‘Most Serene Republic of Venice’, it was constructed in the XV century using marble from Istria. A castle was located on this spot until it was destroyed by flames in order to force Pietro IV Candiano to come out from hiding during a rebellion. Today the Palazzo is a museum displaying the best Venetian works of art: the Biblioteca Sansovina.
In front of the Palazzo Ducale the bell tower of San Marco was constructed in 1173 as a beacon for navigation. It was subsequently restored in the XV century by Bartolomeo Bon. It collapsed on the 14th of July 1902 and was painstakingly rebuilt. The loggetta in red marble from Verona is a work by Jacopo Sansovino, upon which the bas-reliefs featuring allegory of the exploits of the Repubblica del Leone. Another symbol of the city is the Ponte di Rialto: a work of Antonio Da Ponte completed in 1591. It constituted the only way of crossing the Canal Grande by foot and in fact remained the only means to do so until 1854 with the construction of the Ponte dell'Accademia.