Venice Square in Rome (Piazza Venezia). The most beautiful palaces in Venice

Italian Venice- an ancient and majestic European city, a visit to which is remembered for a lifetime, because it is a unique city on the water, which became famous throughout the world for its famous, best Venetian palazzos, great works of art. Venice includes more than a hundred large and small islands, almost two hundred canals - they have an irresistible attraction for several million tourists who come here a year. Today we will talk about the most beautiful palaces in Venice.

Venice, shrouded in a light haze rising from the water, bright turquoise waters of local canals, unique palaces and bridges - mysterious and mysterious, what could be more attractive for travelers? But this city is also very popular with romantics and newlyweds, as well as art connoisseurs who dream of getting to know the richest cultural heritage of this city. Italian city. The most attractive Venetian palaces in the eyes of tourists, located with graceful facades along the Grand Canal, they demonstrate to everyone who enters the power of Venice and its living history, embodied in these architectural curiosities in the Gothic, Baroque, classical styles. These famous Venetian palaces are beautiful not only from the outside, they are magnificent and luxurious inside: many have preserved ancient decoration, furniture and household items from the Middle Ages. Some Venetian palazzos were given over to the state institutions of the city, museums were placed somewhere. So, what are the most beautiful palaces in?

1. "Doge's Palace" or "Palazzo Ducale"- beautiful ancient palace, built in the Gothic style, as the main residence for the Doges of Venice. The palazzo began to be erected in 1309 and completed in 1424. The "Doge's Palace" in the Middle Ages was used as the main political, judicial and maritime center of government in Venice. Today, within the walls of this palazzo is a wonderful museum. The building itself is a bright and memorable element of the architectural Venetian ensemble. The palace is open for tourists from April to October: from half past nine in the morning to half past seven in the evening, and from November to March: until half past six in the evening. Acquaintance with the palace will cost you twenty euros.

2. "Ca' d'Oro Palace" or "Palazzo Ca' D'Oro"- This elegant building was built in the fifteenth century for the Bona family. Palazzo Ca' d'Oro was built in the beautiful Venetian Gothic style. The second common name for this palace is “Golden House”, the fact is that after construction the building was covered with gold leaf. This wonderful building is located on the Grand Canal, in the Venetian district of Cannaregio. It contains art Gallery Giorgio Franketti. Gallery opening hours: from eight fifteen in the morning to seven fifteen in the evening, from Tuesday to Sunday, and from eight fifteen in the morning to two in the afternoon, on Monday. Ticket offices close half an hour before the gallery closes. Official days off: January 1st, May 1st, December 25th. The ticket price is six euros.

3. "Palazzo Barbarigo" or "Palazzo Barbarigo"- this strict building was erected in the fifteenth century for the ancient and noble Italian family of Barbarigo - the kind that gave the city great generals, smartest politicians and wise religious figures, and belonged to him until it was sold in the nineteenth century. Architectural appearance The building belongs to the Venetian-Byzantine style, it is distinguished by the severity of forms, the absence of excessive pretentiousness and splendor. And only with the change of owners, which happened in the nineteenth century, the facade of the building was decorated with a beautiful mosaic of the famous Murano glass. Today, this palazzo is open to tourists, there are showrooms, as well as marketplaces where you can see interesting works of art by Murano glassblowers and buy your favorite ones.

4. "Palace of Fondaco dei Tedeschi" or "Palazzo Fondaco dei Tedeschi"- the name of the palace is translated as "German Compound". The building really arose as a result of close commercial relations between the Venetians and the Germans. It was built in 1228, but the original version of the building burned down in a fire in 1505, today we see an already rebuilt building of the sixteenth century, designed by the architect Hieronymo Tedesco, whose nickname was "German", and directed the work of Antonio Abbondi Scarpagnino. This beautiful building built in the Renaissance style: it has a wide patio, a beautiful portico located at the level of the canal, framed by an interesting crenellated cornice. Previously, the walls of the palazzo revived after the fire were covered with frescoes by Giorgione and Titian, today the surviving remains of this painting are in the Franchetti Gallery, in the Academy Palace and the Palace of Rains. In the nineteenth century, the palace was given over to the customs, and the entire twentieth century there was a post office. In our twenty-first century, the building was bought by the fashion brand "Benetton", they wanted to place shopping mall, but their venture failed due to protests from the defenders cultural heritage Venice.

5. "Palazzo Fondaco dei Turchi" or "Palazzo Fondaco dei Turchi"- This is a wonderful monument of Venetian-Byzantine architecture and one of the most ancient buildings in the city of Venice, erected in the manner of the first palaces of Constantinople. The name can be translated - "Turkish Compound", the fact is that for a long time it was leased to Turkish merchants for warehouses and housing. But the palace was built in the period from the tenth to the thirteenth centuries for the local wealthy patrician family of Pisaro. And only in the sixteenth century it was transferred to the use of the Turkish merchant community. When, in the early nineteenth century, trade with the Ottomans ceased to be brisk, the number of eastern merchants in the city declined and rental income fell sharply, and the ancient palace began to collapse. He again returned to the Pisaro family, then passed to the Manin family, and they sold him again, and so he changed owners until 1860, until he was bought out by the commune, which carried out its restoration and reconstruction. The palace again acquired Venetian-Byzantine features. Today, the Palace of Fondaco Dei Turchi houses the Museum of Natural History, where paleontological collections are located, and their most interesting exhibits are: the skeleton of a prehistoric crocodile, numerous skeletons of dinosaurs, aquariums with very rare inhabitants of the underwater world.

6. "Palazzo Dolphin Manin" or "Palazzo Dolfin Manin"- this airy building was erected in the middle of the sixteenth century for the Venetian diplomat and merchant Dolphin. The project was created by the architect Jacop Sansovino. Two medieval houses became the basis for the new building. The facade of the three-storey snow-white palace was decorated with magnificent arched colonnades. This Venetian palazzo got its name in the period from 1789 to 1797, when the last Doge of Venice, Lodovico Manin, lived in it. Since 1867, this palace was transferred to the placement of the National Bank, and it has been working here to this day.

7. "Palazzo Grimani" or "Palazzo Grimani di San Luca"- this beautiful building is located at the intersection of the Rio di San Luca canal with the Grand Canal, not far from the Rialto Bridge. The Grimani Palace was built in the Renaissance for the Doge of Venice, Antonio Grimani, but after his death, he was constantly rebuilt by his heirs, Vittore Grimani, Procurator General of Venice, and Giovanni Grimani, Cardinal and Patriarch of Aquileia. The palazzo is divided into three parts and has a miniature backyard. Its graceful white facade is decorated with multi-colored marble. Today, this Venetian palace houses the City Court of Appeal.

8. "Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti" or "Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti"- this architectural monument in the Gothic style is located near the Accademia Bridge, overlooking the Grand Canal, it has a main entrance from Campo Santo Stefano. This wonderful palace was built in the sixteenth century for the Marcello family. For three centuries, representatives of three related branches lived under the roof of the palazzo: Marcello, Gussoni, Cavalli. In the first half of the nineteenth century, the residence of the Austrian Archduke Friedrich Ferdinand was located here. And in 1878, the palazzo passed to Baron Raimondo Franchetti, and he began a large-scale reconstruction of the building, hiring the architect Camillo Boito. Today, within the walls of this palace is the "Institute of Science, Literature and Art of Venice" - "Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti". There are pavilions for various cultural events, exhibition halls occupy four hundred and fifty square meters, conference rooms - nine hundred square meters, a garden - one and a half thousand square meters.

9. "Palazzo Ca' Foscari" or "Palazzo Foscari"- this majestic building was built in 1452, it is a prominent representative of the houses of the Venetian nobility. Its reddish façade is distinguished by symmetry and delicacy, which attracts the attention of any tourist. At first, the famous Venetian Giustiniani family owned the house, and then the mansion passed to the Foscari family, after whom it was named. The architecture of the palace is Gothic: arches alternate with columns and windows. For several centuries on the basement floor of the building there were trading warehouses and only the upper premises were residential. Main entrance The mansion faces the Grand Canal. Royals often stayed at Ca’ Foscari Palace, for example, there lived french king Henry III. This palazzo has gone through several global restorations, the most extensive was after the fire in 1979, and the final restoration, aimed at improving security measures, took place in 2006. Today, there are several departments and institutions of the University of Ca' Foscari - "Università Ca" Foscari. And another notable feature of the Palazzo Ca "Foscari is associated with its location on the bend of the Grand Canal, which gives an excellent overview of the annual Venice Historical Regatta is held on the first Sunday in September. For convenience, there is a floating platform near the mansion, where the jury members who follow the course of the regatta sit, and awards are presented to the winners on it.

10. "Palazzo Dandolo" or "Palazzo Dandolo"- this beautiful mansion was built in 1400 for a Venetian family with a similar surname, but in 1536 they decided to sell this wonderful palace to the Gritti family, and since then the building began an endless change of owners: the Michele family, the Mocenigo family, the Bernando family. And so, the next owners of the palazzo decided to open a casino there. Thus, in the period from 1638 to 1774, the most famous gambling house in Venice was located in Palazzo Dandolo, until, through the efforts of the most influential families of the city, they decided to close it, putting pressure on the owner of the establishment, because the noble young people of Venice squandered here more than one millionth fortune. Today, this beautiful old palazzo houses a chic five-star hotel. Hotel Royal Danieli", it is very popular among tourists who want to live on the Grand Canal, not far from Piazza San Marco and the Ducal Palace. The address of Palazzo Dandolo and, accordingly, "Hotel Danieli": street - "Riva degli Schiavoni" 4196, Venice, 30122. You can get to the hotel on your own using the water trams - "vaporetto" No. railway station or bus station.

11. "Palazzo Ca 'Pesaro" or "Palazzo Ca "Pesaro"- this beautiful Venetian baroque palace was built in the second half of the seventeenth century for representatives of the famous family of Pesaro. The author of the project is the architect Baldassare Longena, who began the construction of the palazzo in 1659 from the part of the building overlooking the land, then he completed the courtyard, decorating it with a magnificent loggia, this was in 1676. Then he began to build a facade from the side of the Grand Canal, but having reached the second floor of the palazzo, he died in 1682. The work of the great master was continued by his talented student - Antonio Gaspari, who completed the palace in 1710, according to the original drawings. For a long time, the mansion was supplemented and remade inside: it was decorated with wall frescoes by the most famous masters, eminent artists were engaged in ceiling paintings: Francesco Trevisani, Girolamo Brusaferro, Nicolo Bambini, Giovanni Battista Pittoni. Previously, the palazzo had a Tiepolo fresco: Zephyr and Flora, but in 1935 it was moved to the Museum of Venice, located at the Palazzo Ca "Resonico". The Pesaro family owned many great works of world art - the brilliant works of Titian, Giorgione, Carpaccio, Tintoretto, other Venetian artists of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.But, in 1830, after the death of the last member of the Pesaro family, most the property of one of the oldest Venetian families was sold. Then the palace passed into the ownership of the Gradenigo family, then to the Armenian community, which opened a college within its walls. Then the palazzo was bought by the Duchess Felechita Bevilacqua La Massa, and after her death she bequeathed it to the city to open a museum there. In 1902, a collection of modern art was placed here, and in the period from 1908 to 1924, exhibitions of works by young artists began to be held in the palace: Gino Rossi, Felice Casorati, Umberto Boccioni, Arturo Martini. The exposition of the museum was constantly replenished thanks to such well-known patrons as Baron Eduardo Franchetti, Prince Alberto Giovanelli, Baron Ernst Sighera, Filippo Grimani, a representative of the most noble Venetian family and a major political figure. In the twentieth century, paintings by Kandinsky, Miro, Morandi, Wildt, Klimt, Chagall, and other artists and sculptors appeared in the museum. Today, the Palazzo Ca "Pesaro" also houses the "Museum of Modern Art" - "Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderna", as well as the "Museum of Oriental Art" - "Museo d'Arte Orientale", no less interesting.

12. "Ca' Dario Palace" or "Palazzo Ca' Dario"- oddly enough, this beautiful building is often called the "Cursed Castle of Venice", the fact is that any of its new owners became unlucky: they went bankrupt, were attacked and abused, fell victim to various accidents, committed suicide - that's why local legends , finally secured for him the glory of the "cursed house". This palace was erected in 1487, in the Renaissance style: the building is asymmetrical, its facade compares favorably with neighboring houses in that it is lined with a beautiful mosaic of green marble and reddish porphyry. The front facade of this palace overlooks the Grand Canal, the building itself belongs to the Dorsoduro quarter, which stands on the Rio delle Torreselle, and with its opposite facade it overlooks Campiello Barbaro Square, facing the marina of Santa Maria de Giglio. At the end of the twentieth century, director Woody Allen chose this beautiful Venetian palace as the wedding venue. To date, Palazzo Ca'Dario is private property, but sometimes, with the consent of the owners, cultural events are held here, organized by " art museum Venice."

13. "Palazzo Pisani Gritti" or "Palazzo Pisani Gritti"- a beautiful old building, built in the fourteenth century, which became the residence of the Doge of Venice, Andrea Gritti, and the family residence of this famous Venetian family. The façade of the palazzo overlooks the Grand Canal, opposite the Church of the Madonna della Salute. The facade of the building was changed in the sixteenth century. The building has a Gothic architectural style, it is decorated with spectacular lancet arches, four lancet windows located in the center of the building. The third floor of the palazzo was rebuilt in the nineteenth century, and acquired a neo-Gothic style, there are three lanceolate windows that are separated from each other. In ancient times, the facade of a beautiful building, from the side of the Grand Canal, was decorated with frescoes by Giorgione, but they were lost. The chic palace was often used as a residence for ambassadors from the Vatican. In the twentieth century, an elite hotel was opened here, at the same time a terrace was completed on the ground floor overlooking the canal. In 1994, The Gritti Palace was associated with the prestigious Starwood Hotels & Resorts brand, becoming part of the Luxury Collection. It underwent a thorough restoration, the interiors were carefully restored to please the guests of the city who came to get acquainted with beautiful Venice.

14. "Palazzo Labia" or "Palazzo Labia"- the chic building of this palace was erected at the end of the seventeenth century, as a residence for the richest Venetian family, who had Catalan roots. The building has two magnificent facades, which are made in the style of "Longren", one overlooks the Cannaregio Canal, the other on the Grand Canal. over these amazing architectural masterpieces talented Venetian architects Alessandro Tremignon and Andrea Cominelli worked. The third façade of the building faces San Jeremy Square and was completed in 1730. The palace is no less magnificent inside, its ballroom, designed by Giorgio Missveri, is especially chic. The Labia family eventually went bankrupt and was forced to transfer their wonderful palace to Prince Lobkowicz, and he, in turn, sold the mansion to the Israeli "Koenigsberg Fund". Then, a sawmill was set up in the interiors of the palazzo, a textile factory and a clothes dryer were opened, until in 1964 it was bought by the RAI television and radio company and the Regional Broadcasting Center was opened here.

15. "Palazzo dei Camerlenghi" or "Palazzo dei Camerlenghi"- this extraordinary palazzo - an ideal example of the early Renaissance, overlooks the Grand Canal, and forms an angle with its two sides, its project was created by the great architect Guglielmo dei Grigi - Guglielmo dei Grigi. The Palazzo was built by 1528, it was erected specifically to house the administrative offices of Venice, thus becoming the first purely public building Europe. Palazzo dei Camerlingi has distinctive features from other Venetian palaces: its front parts face each of the cardinal points. At first the palace was - the "House of city treasurers", then it became a state prison. The walls of the building are in the shape of a pentagon, in order to indicate the importance of the institutions located here, in long time ago decorated with overlays made of precious metals, but over time they were lost. There are numerous windows in the arches that overlook the Grand Canal. The interior of the palace in past centuries was decorated with two hundred paintings by famous Venetian artists, many of which were huge, and such a collection was accumulated in a public institution, for this reason: traditionally, when retiring, every judge was obliged to give this palazzo an expensive painting. Of course, to this day, the lion's share of the collection was stolen, and even destroyed in 1797, after the capture of Venice by Napoleon, but the remaining canvases can be seen in the "Museum of the Academy".

Today we told you about the most interesting Venetian palaces, which have an ancient and glorious history, inextricably linked with the history of the city, the country and its great people. We hope that we were able to convince you of the need to visit Venice and the importance of getting to know the great masterpieces of Venetian architecture on the water.

One of the most grandiose squares in Rome is Venice Square (piazza Venezia), where six significant Roman streets intersect - via del Corso, via Nazionale, via Cesare Battisti, via del Plebescito, via del Teatro Marcello, via Nazionale. From here, the streets of Roman shopping diverge, leading to a direct road to the colorful Roman quarter of Trastevere and to St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. The majestic street of the Imperial Forums (via dei Fori Imperiali) also originates here, along which you can go straight to the Colosseum.

Therefore, Piazza Venezia is an almost perfect geometric center of Rome and a pulsating heart the eternal city.

History, myths and curious facts

Piazza Venezia was formed in the middle of the 15th century immediately after the construction of the eponymous Palazzo Venezia, the residence of the Venetian Cardinal Petro Barbo, who soon became Pope under the name Paul II. They built the palace of Venice from travertine taken from the quarries of the Colosseum and the theater of Marcel: during the Middle Ages, these ancient monuments were not given any importance - cows were grazed in the Roman Forums, and the Colosseum turned into a huge quarry of building materials for Roman churches and palaces.

A lover of holidays and carnivals, Pope Paul II decided to move the venue of the Roman Carnival from the Testaccio area to Piazza Venezia and Via del Corso. The main event of the carnival was a wild horse race called "corsa dei Barberi". Horses without riders, spurred by hot pitch, ran down Corso all the way to Piazza Venezia. At the end of Corso were stretched huge red canvases, bumping into which, the horse had to stop.

Horse racing was incredibly popular with the Roman people until King Victor Emmanuel II in 1874, after the death of a teenager who accidentally fell under the hooves of a horse, decided to cancel this public entertainment.

modern square

At about the same time, after the death of King Victor Emmanuel, Venice Square radically changed its appearance - the construction of the Vittoriano monument (Altar of the Fatherland) began and some of the houses in the square adjacent to the Capitoline Hill had to be demolished. And the square itself should be moved closer to via del Corso.

In the corner of the square, not far from the church of San Marco, there is a female bust. This is the famous Roman "talking" statue of Madame Lucretia. Talking statues in papal Rome were called sculptures, to which it was possible to anonymously attach leaflets criticizing the authorities, satirical pamphlets on a political topic, and any expression of public discontent. Open criticism of the authorities in these times was strictly persecuted and very often led to prison and execution, so the Roman people invented this way of expressing their discontent. Pamphlets were often pasted at night so that no one could catch their author.

Looking from Piazza Venezia towards via del Corso, you will see a palace with a green shuttered balcony. This is the so-called Bonnaparte Palace, the favorite balcony of Napoleon's mother, Laetitia Bonaparte. Its shutters keep the Roman legend that Madame Bonaparte was extremely talkative and curious - sitting with a maid on the balcony, she loudly discussed the outfits of ladies passing by. Such frivolous behavior spoiled the reputation of the French ruler, and he ordered the mother's balcony to be closed with shutters.

Palace of Venice and District

There is the Cone Fountain in Piazza Venezia. Once this ancient fountain was found here during excavations, its original is now located in the Vatican Museums. During the renaissance, this fountain, moved to the Vatican, served the faithful and pilgrims arriving at St. Peter's Basilica. In the fountain, they washed their hands and face before entering the cathedral and turning to God.

The Palace of Venice at different times and eras has changed many owners. In addition to its original purpose - the Papal residence, it was the embassy of the Republic of Venice, later became Austrian property and was used as the embassy of Austria, and later of Austria-Hungary. And in 1916, finally returned to the ownership of the Italian state. Since 1929, the palace has housed the Fascist Party led by Benito Mussolini.

Balcony with Italy flag and European Union in the palace of Venice - nothing more than the balcony of Mussolini's office, from where he solemnly announced in 1940, referring to the crowded public, the war between France and Britain.

Now inside the palace there is the Museum of the Lazio Region: here you can see paintings dedicated to the history of Italy from the Middle Ages to the 18th-19th centuries, furniture, sculptures, household items.

The museum is open every day except Monday from 8.30 to 19.30 (the box office closes at 18.30). Entrance ticket price: 5 euros. Entrance: Via del Plebiscito 18

Venice and further visiting the Roman Forum, St. Peter's Temple, the ruins of the Colosseum, the ancient Pantheon and other attractions of the Eternal City. Piazza Venezia is considered one of the most famous in the capital. The Romans do not like it very much because it is overloaded with a large number of monuments, but the most fascinating excursions around the city start from here.

Venetian Square - historical monument of the city

Piazza Venezia in Rome, a photo of which can often be seen on excursion booklets, can be considered the heart of the capital. It is located near the Capitoline Hill and the Roman Forum and has existed for many centuries. During this time, it was rebuilt several times, and took its present appearance in the 20th century. The square got its name thanks to the Palace of Venice, built in the middle of the 15th century by decree of Cardinal Pietro Barbo, who was elected 6 years later by Pope Paul II.

Tourists are attracted by Piazza Venezia in Rome. Sights have been preserved here since the time. There is an observation deck on the square. It offers a panorama of the Eternal City. The buildings house museums with unique exhibits that tell about the history of Rome. In addition to sightseeing in the square, you can ride on an elegant horse-drawn carriage.

St. Mark's Basilica - an ancient landmark of Rome

Piazza Venezia in Rome owes its fame not only to beautiful panorama capital Cities. In 2009, during the construction of the metro in Piazza Venezia, the walls of the ancient Athenium, an educational institution in Ancient Rome, built in the II century, which was later destroyed. According to reports, the apostle Mark spent several nights in this building. It was here that he wrote his famous Gospel.

In 336, a basilica was built on the site of the destroyed building, which was named Saint Mark in honor of the apostle. Since there was not enough building material in the city, bricks from the ruins of the Colosseum were used to build the building, later they were replaced with marble. Over the centuries, the building suffered from fires and earthquakes and was rebuilt several times.

The brand took on its modern form in the 15th century during the construction of the palace of Venice. In order for it to fit into the architectural ensemble of the palace, its facade was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. The ceiling of the three-nave church is decorated with a coffered ceiling with the coat of arms of Paul II. Inside there is a mosaic depicting Jesus. The relics of Pope Mark are kept in the basilica, and one of the columns is decorated with a bowl for holy water.

Altar of the Fatherland, or Vittoriano

Piazza Venezia in Rome has undergone many renovations. The last large-scale reconstructions began at the end of the 19th century and ended at the beginning of the 20th century. Old buildings were demolished, and instead of them a monument was erected dedicated to Victor Emmanuel II (Vittoriano), who united the country into one state. The construction of the monument lasted 26 years and was completed in 1911. After 16 years, they attached him to the deceased in the First world war. Later, some bronze details were added to the monument, after which its final opening took place in 1935. The composition was called "Altar of the Fatherland".

A 20-meter statue is installed in the center of the monument. A gallery of columns in the neoclassical style was built at the back, from above they are covered with a magnificent architrave - a system of beams and crossbeams resting on the columns. On the sides of the gallery there are porticos, on their roof there are sculptures of the goddess Nike on a chariot. Below, two fountains were built, symbolizing the seas that wash the shores of Italy. The first fountain is decorated with a statue of a lion - the symbol of the Apostle Mark, on the second there is a statue of a siren - a symbol of the city of Naples. You can climb to the monument by a wide staircase decorated with bas-reliefs.

History of the Venetian Palace

The Venetian palace was built of dark brick in the early Renaissance style. The building of a strict architectural form is decorated with bifurcated battlements along the roof and windows made of white marble. A feature of the building is the asymmetrical position of the windows. The different distances are explained by the fact that in the Middle Ages they protected themselves from evil spirits that penetrated through window openings located symmetrically.

During World War II, Mussolini's residence was located in the palace. His office was a room called the Map of the World. The ceiling of the hall is decorated with an artistic painting depicting a map of the world. There is also a small balcony from which the ruler made his speeches and urged the Italians to support the side of Germany.

Museums in Piazza Venezia

Piazza Venezia in Rome is famous for the fact that the museums of the city are located in historical buildings. Two of them are located in the premises of the Vittoriano monument.

• Museum of the Risorgimento. Its expositions tell about the struggle of the people for the independence of Italy at the beginning of the 19th century.
• Museum of the colors of the Italian Navy.

The Palace of Venice houses the National Museum, famous for its large collection wax figures- doppelgangers of famous people.

The Chere Museum is also located within the walls of the palace. It houses a large collection of Renaissance items made of silver and ceramics, paintings by famous Italian and German masters, tapestries, a large collection of watches and weapons from the Middle Ages.

How to get to the square

Piazza Venezia in Rome is easy to find. It is located at the intersection of the main thoroughfares of Rome. The streets and the avenue, on which the famous boutiques of the city are located, radiate from it. The system of transport service is developed in the capital. 12 bus routes pass through the square, there is a metro line and tram lines. Travel to public transport is 1.5 euros. After the ticket is validated, it is valid for 100 minutes. During this time, you can change the type of public transport several times. You can take a taxi to the square. In this case, the fare is fixed and amounts to 40 euros.

A significant and very interesting place in, which not a single tourist will bypass, is Piazza (square) Venice. The square got its name in the 15th century thanks to the Venetian cardinal Pietro Barbo. A palace was built on this site, which later housed the embassy of Venice. In front of the snow-white palace there is a monument to King Immanuel II (the first king of united Italy), and the grandiose palace itself, or rather, the monument that adorns Venice Square, is called Vittoriano, which means Altar of the Fatherland. Together, this is called the palace ensemble. The palace was built from stone taken from the quarries of the Colosseum. At the foot of the monument is the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, near which there is a guard of honor. Once upon a time, horse races were held on this square. It is very interesting to climb the stairs to the columns of the Vittoriano Palace, from where a wonderful view of the entire area opens.

To the left is the church of San Marco. Here in those bushes in the corner of the building is a sculpture of Madame Lucrezia

Changing of the Guard of Honor at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Piazza Venezia has several historical monuments in the form of ruins in open excavations. One of them is Trajan's Forum. If you are interested in such heaps of stones and columns, then there are several of them around the Vittoriano Palace. The Trojan Forum is named after the Emperor Trojan.

Trojan Forum. Excavations.

Forum. Ruins

If you stand with your back to the Vittoriano Palace and go a little to the right, then you will bump into this forum. The 38-meter-high column of Troyan rises nearby, you will definitely see it. Right next to the column are two almost identical churches with domes, which, of course, are the true decoration of Piazza Venezia. One of them, which is closer to the column, is called the Blessed Virgin Mary. The second church of Santa Maria di Loreto.

Dome of the Church of Santa Maria di Loreto

Standing with your back to the palace, look to the left and see a pink three-story (three naves) building with a three-story square tower. This is the titular church of San Marco, one of the oldest in Rome. Entrance to it is free. All tourists are shown a window with a balcony in this building, from which Mussolini used to speak.

A very interesting landmark of Piazza Venezia in Rome is located near the entrance to the church. San Marco. To the left of the entrance to the church in the very corner you can see a sculpture (bust) of a woman made of white stone. This is Madame Lucrecia (Madama Lucrecia), mistress of the Neapolitan king Alfonso of Aragon.

Opposite the Church of San Marco across the road is another interesting building somewhat reminiscent of the palace of Venice. This is Palazzo delle Assicurationi Generali. (Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali). This building was built in 1911. We cross the street along the passage towards the Troyan Column and notice another excavation on the right. By the way, the road to the northern provinces of the Roman Empire, built in the 220th century BC (Via Flaminius), once began from Piazza Venezia.

If you get around the Vittoriano monument with reverse side, then you will be taken to Capitol Square ( Piazza del Campidoglio), in the middle of which there is an equestrian monument. This is none other than Marcus Aurelius. Around the monument there are buildings: the Palace of the Senators (Palazzo Senatorio), the Palace of the Conservators (Palazzo dei Conservatori), the Palazzo Nuovo (Palazzo Nuovo) and the Basilica of Santa Maria in Araceli (Santa Maria in Araceli). All this is located on Capitol Hill. The city hall is now located in the palace of the senators. The Conservative Palace houses a museum of ancient Roman busts. If anyone is interested in such exhibits, then the entrance to the museums costs 13 euros.

Venice is an amazingly multifaceted city, rich in its history, which has known ups and downs. Among all this, there was a place and history of the accursed Palazzo Dario. The story is so famous that the artist Claude Monet was interested in it, venerable writers devoted their works ... But I did not hear the clues to this story. Maybe you know her? In the information flow, it is not surprising to miss a lot. In the meantime - a story about what cast such a gloomy shadow on one of the most unusual palazzos in Venice.

Almost no building in Venice was mentioned in the detectives of Donna Leon, including the Palazzo Dario:
Brunetti stood in the same place for a minute, then went to one of the windows and lifted the curtain. The Grand Canal stretched below, the sun gleamed on the water, reflected on the walls of the Palazzo Dario located to the left; the golden tiles that made up the mosaic on the facade of the palace caught the light emanating from the water; breaking up into many sparks, he again rushed down to the canal. Boats sailed past, time passed.
Donna Leon, Venetian Counting

Small red dot on the map - Palazzo Dario:

First a note from the wiki:

Ca "Dario or Palazzo Dario (Italian: Ca" Dario, Palazzo Dario) is a palace in Venice, in the Dorsoduro district. One side overlooks the Grand Canal, the other - Barbaro Square. Opposite the palace is the marina of Santa Maria de Guillo. The palace is a magnificent example of Renaissance architecture. The mosaic facade made of colored marble attracts attention. The palace was built in 1487. Among the owners of the mansion was the French poet Henri de Regnier, who lived here at the end of the 19th century. The palace is also famous for the fact that one of the weddings of the famous film director Woody Allen took place here. The palace has the notoriety of being a cursed house. The owners of the mansion were repeatedly abused, became bankrupt or suicidal. The last death occurred in 1993, when one of the richest Italian industrialists shot himself here after a corruption scandal broke out. In 2005, the German writer Petra Reske published the best-selling book "Palazzo Dario".
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B0%27_%D0%94%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BE

Here are quotes from the mentioned book by Petra Reska (slightly abridged and highlighted in blue) and we will continue the story about the Palazzo Dario. I will add my notes to quotes in black.

“More precisely, they call it Ka Dario,” said Wanda's companion. - Previously, all the palaces in Venice were called "Ca", from casa, and only the Doge's Palace was called a palazzo, Palazzo Ducale. But today things are looked at more broadly. You are surprised signorina, aren't you? Yes, there are many things that foreigners do not know. Imagine, an American woman recently asked me why the city is so flooded with water. I answered her: "Signora, this is how we wash the streets."

On the map in the center you can see a small palazzo Dario and other palazzos nearby:

Reska's book details the curse of the palazzo and how it affected its inhabitants. Here are just a few brief references:

"I mean the curse," he replied, somewhat annoyed that she had interrupted him. “The palazzo where your uncle lives brings misfortune. Many Venetians say that Palazzo Dario especially does not like businessmen, businessmen, and, on the contrary, saves artists. We Venetians always try to find a pattern in everything. But here she is not. Massimo Miniato was, for example, a businessman and still survived in this palace. And the antiques dealer Fabio delle Fenestrelle, on the contrary, in my opinion, was more related to artists. The only regularity that I see here is that misfortune, like powdery mildew, falls on each of its inhabitants. Very few survived and left the palace themselves.

- The first inhabitant of Ca Dario, as far as I remember, was an American, Robert Baulder. After him was Fabio delle Fenestrelle. He ran an antique shop. After him was a hippie, Mick Swinton, he was the manager of the rock band What. Then Massimo Miniato Sassoferato, the financier, as he called himself, whatever that means. And then Aldo Vergato. The richest man in Italy. Of course, you have heard of him. Even Ka Dario did not bring happiness to him, that's for sure. Oh yes, I must have forgotten to mention that none of them survived at the Palazzo Dario. That is, there was one who survived, but he was not lucky either. And these are only those who have lived there in the last fifty years. If you think about the fact that the palazzo is already more than five hundred years old, who knows what scenes were played there that we know nothing about.

“In Ca Dario,” replied the gentleman, “something was always celebrated, at all times. I think there is hardly any other palazzo in which they had so much fun. In the days of Mick Swinton and the Miniato, parties rumbled one after another. “Kilograms of cocaine. It wasn't holidays, it was orgies." “Bras and panties just flew out of the windows,” said taxi drivers who were forced to stand down at the pier all night long.

– In the days of Vergato, it was calm in Ca Dario. And after his death, the house was empty for quite a long time, no one dared to buy it, although the price was quite bearable. In my opinion, at first this American, the director, became interested in him. He just had a burning desire, still, ten billion for a Renaissance palazzo on the world-famous Grand Canal - it's just a gift. He always comes to Venice with his wife on New Year's Eve and stays at the Hotel Gritti, just opposite the Ca Dario. Perhaps one day at breakfast he looked at the house and calculated how many nights he would have to spend in Venice to justify the ten billion. And with such prices as in the Gritti Hotel, these nights would not be so many. There, the rent of one suite costs a million, that is, the cost of almost ten thousand nights in Ca Dario. And if he were destined to spend them there, they would fly by in thirty years, which for a city like Venice is tantamount to a flap of a wing. However, he refused the deal. They say he learned about the curse of the palazzo.

All his life, Baulder dreamed of settling on the world-famous Grand Canal in Venice. He knew that many famous singers, composers, artists, writers and poets lived in the fashionable palazzos of the world-famous Grand Canal: Hemingway and Rainer Maria Rilke, Hugo von Hoffmannstel and Marcel Proust, and even the Queen Mother herself. He bought the Palazzo Dario from a mysterious fellow whom he had seen only twice in his life at the Café Florian. This guy's eyes burned like coals. He offered his empty palace at a ridiculous price. Baulder, who never turned down a good deal, accepted without hesitation. Did he then assume that by making this deal, he thereby handed over his soul to the dark force?

People like Robert Baulder are hardly ever sensitive to such sensations. And even more so, Americans, unlike Europeans, are completely unreceptive to spiritualistic phenomena. If a mysterious man with glowing eyes had told Baulder that the Palazzo Dario was under a curse that cost the lives of all its former owners, he would have laughed in response. Perhaps he might have been impressed by the accident that happened to Mario del Monaco, the famous tenor, after he negotiated a price with a mysterious man and signed a contract to purchase the ill-fated palace. On the way back to Treviso, the singer's elegant limousine overturned, and, still recovering from terrible injuries, he canceled the purchase of Ca Dario.

Boulder, however, took possession of the Palazzo Dario with complete confidence. After stormily celebrating the signing of the purchase agreement at the Café Florian, he boarded a gondola on St. Mark's Quay. The moon, making its night round, entailed a plume of a light path along the water of the world-famous Grand Canal. A ghostly radiance trailed like a shroud over the Palazzo Dario, but Baulder didn't feel the cold fingers of the curse touch him.
- Stunning Venetian light! he sighed as the gondolier rowed steadily through the black water of the world-famous Grand Canal.

The boy's heart skipped a beat as Boulder promptly invited him to dinner at the Palazzo Dario.
After a while they entered the palace through the wrought iron gates. Boulder leaned his shoulder against the heavy oak door, and Girolamo found himself in a room with a cool white marble floor bathed in soft, warm amber light from tall candles. There were ancient musical instruments: harps, cembalos, lyres and spinets.
- Are you into music? whispered Girolamo.
"No," Boulder replied, and smiled with some contempt. - It was Juan who wanted to furnish the salon with musical instruments.

He then took him around the palace and showed him even the "luxury" bathroom, noting the delight with which Girolamo examined the bidet from whole piece marble. In the salon, the boy especially liked the tiger skins with tan marks, and in the hallway, the small marble children's sarcophagi scared him to death.
"Oh, they're just hat stands," Boulder smiled, noticing that the boy was frightened.

On the theme of the interiors and exterior of the palazzo:

Among their rivals, challenging each other on the world-famous Grand Canal, Palazzo Dario looked exhausted. Embodied yellow-gray fragility. A house of cards that only holds up because its base is wider than the upper floors. it seemed that it was enough just to touch a small piece of its marble, as the whole palace silently folded and collapsed into the world-famous Grand Canal. On the plinth of the palace was engraved GENIO URBIS JOANNES DARIO - "Giovanni Dario - the genius of the city." Higher up were three narrow, pointed-vaulted windows, clad in triple bars, as if they were meant to protect the harem. The marble façade was adorned with green granite and red porphyry medallions, reflecting the painted, made-up face of the palace in the water.

But even this beautiful mask could not hide the conspicuous thinness, although it set off all three floors - two piano nobile, aristocratic floors, conceived for inspection, and not as housing, and a modest, reserved upper floor. The palazzo stretched coyly and swaggered in all its appearance, but separately each floor was nothing more than an imposing salon. On the ground floor was the Mohamed Salon, named after Sultan Mohamed II, to whom the architect Giovanni Dario owed his fame and fortune.

On the second floor there was a pink salon. Next to it was a library, a luxurious bathroom, a bedroom, small guest rooms and storage closets.

It was cold, damp and dark within the walls of the palace pier. entire generations of Venetian architecture students devoted their thesis to these marble arches, vaults and columns of wharves and wharves of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

The marble vaults were washed away by the tides, and they were completely covered with pockmarks and crevices from endless flooding. On the quay of Sopraport, two marble figurines of boys whose foreskin had been gnawed off by the water held the turquoise-white striped coat of arms of the Dario family. Everything that was once beautiful in them crumbled and disappeared: limbs, curls, noses - now the salt was already biting into their faces. One of them had such a gaping cavity in the lower part of his face, as if he had leprosy.

Up the stairs to the second floor. The hallway was adorned with gilded plaster rosettes, examples of eerie rococo. But what can you do? For five centuries, the palazzo digested all its inhabitants, calmly and silently.

Some of them believed that they could express themselves by constructing a marble fountain, the other tried to embody their creative impulses in equipping the palace with a kitchen elevator to deliver food to the upper floors.

But what all its inhabitants valued as the individuality of the house - the white and gold tile stoves of the Rococo era and the ceilings decorated with plaster rosettes - was nothing more than a worthless tinsel decoration, which, however, could not spoil the true originality and individuality of the Palazzo. Dario.

Of the three floors of the Palazzo, Radomir mostly occupied only the third. On the second floor, that is, the first of the piano nobile, one could only live in the summer. Sovraintendenza, the Office for the Preservation of Monuments, forbade the heating of this salon in order to preserve the unique examples of stucco work in it. So the furniture on the second floor lay dormant during the winter months under white sheets. Radomir opened this piano nobile only in exceptional cases, for example, when he received photographers from publishing houses that produce albums in Venice, of course, for some monetary compensation.

He did not care in which album the photographs of his palace appeared: “Life in Venice”, “ Venetian palazzo”, “Palazzo of the world-famous Grand Canal” - Radomir and his Palazzo Dario should have appeared in any of them: Palazzo Dario - view from the water; Palazzo Dario - view from the garden; detail of a marble fountain at the entrance; fountain on the second floor; luxury bathroom on the third floor.

Second floor. The window panes, cast with a generous dose of lead, painted the interior a bright pink.

The pink saloon was crammed with furniture, from which, until now, only the Empire style couch could be used. Everything else—slender-legged chairs, chests, cupboards, chests of drawers, magnificent inlaid tables and root-wood secretaries—seemed to show resentment at the very thought of using them for their intended purpose.

“You know, in a certain sense, I have a special relationship with the Palazzo Dario, because thanks to me the original furniture has been preserved in it,” he said proudly. Who knows what would have happened if someone else had bought it. The best items from it would then stand in Milan salons or in America. And this Venetian antiques would not have endured. He needs the Venetian climate. High humidity. If you put it in an American apartment, where the air conditioner works in the summer, and in the winter everything shrinks because of the heating, it will very soon come to an end.

From the history of the owners of the palazzo:

– Palazzo Dario keeps many secrets for me as an art historian. The mass of circumstances hides the truth about him. For a long time there was not a single worthy historical evidence, except for the inscription "Genio Urbis Joannes Darius" on the facade, but such a meager message did not limit human imagination, rather the opposite. And perhaps this is precisely what should be considered as the source of endless stories about the palace.

- Palazzo Dario is the only one in Venice named after its creator. The inscription on the facade is a sign of Giovanni Dario's respect for his homeland. Giovanni Dario was one of the few owners of palaces on the world famous Grand Canal who were not aristocrats. Most likely, the aristocrats of the world-famous Grand Canal considered him an upstart, and all his life he fought for public recognition.

“Once I was looking at the magnificent decoration of this facade, and it seemed to me that I saw in it the elegant nuances of the early Lombard style.
... a balcony with an iron balustrade, installed in the 18th century, emphasizes the magnificence of the facade decoration, the same can be said about the lattice for the lower windows near the water itself.

One of the rooms was almost completely lined with copper. Above the windows of the hall on the second floor there is a surprisingly inlaid gothic cornice. Palazzo Dario, no doubt, has become a worthy possession and housing of its creator - Giovanni Dario, whose name we read on the facade.

– Rod Dario belongs to the most famous and ancient in Venice. He comes from Crete. Giovanni Dario was supposedly born in 1414. By origin he was a tradesman, not a patrician, and a member, on the one hand, of an honorary, and on the other hand, of a minor group of senate secretaries. He performed various duties in the Council of Ten, led quite significant departments in the Senate and carried out various assignments ...
– Many historians have appreciated the merits of Giovanni Dario. Tentori, for example, admires him, almost idolizes him, as a man with a wealth of experience and political talent. Lecomte of the Faculty of History of the University of Montellier writes that Dario had already been appointed Ambassador of the Republic in 1450. However, this statement is not scientific in nature, it is unproven.

... Paolo Morosini, our honored historian from Padua, we owe the fact that it was Giovanni Dario who managed to make peace with the Sultan of Turkey, the terrible Mohammed II, the conqueror of Constantinople ...
- Dario was in 1478 authorized by Doge Giovanni Mocenigo with unlimited rights to decide and conclude peace with Mohamed II.
- Giovanni Dario was held in high esteem in Constantinople, as evidenced by two extremely interesting letters, in which he describes the sumptuous reception accorded him in that city...
... for establishing peace with Mohamed II, the Republic granted him possession in Novent in Padua and, in addition, a thousand ducats from the salt magistracy as a dowry to his illegitimate daughter Marietta. And Mohamed gave him three gold-woven outfits ...

…and Dario's family settled in the palace: Dario with his mistress Chiara, his daughter Marietta and his two nephews Andrea and Francesco Pantaleo.
- How? Giovanni Dario was not married?
- Apparently not. But there is no direct indication of this. Giovanni Dario was seventy-five years old when he settled in his palace, and his life was already covered with thoughts of illness and death. Then he made a will. And in the same year, his daughter Marietta married the patrician Vincenzo Barbaro.

These Barbaros were a highly influential and aristocratic family. They lived in a nearby palazzo. On May 1, 1494, at the age of eighty, Giovanni Dario died. After his death, the palace passed into the possession of the Barbaro family. Until the beginning of the 19th century, it remained their property. With the death of Dario, some fate descended on his heirs and descendants ...
- Marietta was unlucky with her husband, the temper and anger of Vincenzo Barbaro were known to everyone. Soon he was expelled for ten years from the Grand Council for insulting a lawyer.

Marietta suffered because of the shameful position of her husband. And after the death of her father, she also died soon after. Young and unhappy. She was not even twenty. In the prime of youth! In the bedroom of the Palazzo Dario from a heart attack. And a few years after her death, Dario's nephews were brutally and mysteriously killed by robbers. Neither he nor his daughter, even after death, found peace. The church of Santa Maria delle Grazia, where they were buried, was blown up in 1849. The fact is that since 1810 it housed a powder warehouse, which was blown up when the Austrians entered here.

– We are grateful for these numerous valuable references and facts to the works of Rowdon LaBock Brown, the author of the famous study of the life of Maria Sanuto. Raudon Brown was the owner of the Dario Palace from 1838 to 1842. He bought it for four hundred and eighty pounds sterling from the Marquis of Ebdoll, an Armenian diamond dealer who represented Saxony in Venice until he unexpectedly went bankrupt.

... in the last years of the last century, a boarding house was located in the palazzo. central chapter of his story. At that time it belonged to the Comtesse de la Baume Plouvignelle. She made friends with many thinkers, the French poet Henri de Regnier was her frequent guest in the early years of the 20th century, the inscription on the garden wall still reminds of him ...

– It was the Comtesse de la Baume Plouvignelle who initiated the decisive restoration work, when, for example, the fountain on the third floor was rebuilt.

True, she went too far with embellishment, in a word, she overloaded the palace. By her order, large mirrors were hung, they are still hanging, and majolica stoves were also installed. As D'Annunzio rightly noted then, Palazzo Dario turned into a "decrepit courtesan, bent under the weight of her jewelry." The poet lived at that time opposite, in a casetta rossa (pink house).

They tried to make a connection between the ebbs and flows - as one of the mysteries of the palazzo:

– What does the curse of Palazzo Dario have to do with the flood? Wanda didn't hesitate. “All Venice suffers from it.
“But not at low tide, right?” Palazzo Dario is the only palace where water is still standing at low tide in the world-famous Grand Canal. And it began almost immediately after our arrival: the water suddenly rose through the sewer hole - black, smelly, flooded the entire first floor. We thought it was a real flood and didn't understand why the siren didn't sound. And then they looked out of the window and it turned out that in the world-famous Grand Canal, the water had left with low tide. Gone so much that even the boat would not have come to the pier.

– Maybe something is wrong with the stock? It happens a lot,” Wanda said.
Mikel even raised his voice.
- Yes, we had the head of the city hall's flood department, magistratto delle acque. And I couldn't say anything! he shouted.

The bells on the Campanile struck midnight, and the moon plunged the city into silver light. Anya took a deep breath. The vaporetto of the first line went towards the imposing church of Santa Maria della Salute. As they drew level with the Palazzo Dario, soft light fell on its pale Istrian marble, lighting it up in a festive way.

The tension eased Wanda a little. She began to navigate again, they sailed the Rio San Maurizio towards the world-famous Grand Canal. So Primo really took her to the Palazzo Dario. Palazzo Morosini dai Leoni, where the Guggenheim Museum was located, lay like an unfinished cake on the waterfront. Near the Rio de le Torezele between Palazzo Dario and the American Consulate. Primo led the gondola to the portico of the Palazzo Dario.
... And Palazzo Dario with its porta nera (black gates)!

In Reska's book, with great humor, it is told how various charlatans from magic were invited to the palazzo to cleanse it of the curse. And here quite a cool theory of the origin of the curse due to bad place buildings of the palazzo:

- Basically everything is clear. So to speak, mathematically, - said Wanda. – Of course, neither you nor your predecessors even bothered to look at the map of the city and how the Palazzo Dario is located. And if you take a look, everything will become clear to anyone who has even the slightest imagination.
She went to the library and, taking out a map of Venice, laid it out on the table in front of Radomir.
- I'll show you what the magician Alexander explained to me. Do you see that the world famous Grand Canal is shaped like a snake or even a dragon? It divides the city into two parts. Up here, at Margera, is the head of a dragon. Wanda ran her index finger along the world-famous Grand Canal. “Here, below, we find ourselves in an area that brings misfortune, because this is the tail of the dragon, the most unfortunate place, although contradictory at the same time.
Why contradictory? Radomir asked.
“Have patience,” Wanda said, “just listen for once. The place where Ka Dario stands is very negative. On the one hand, the palace is located on the left bank…
... And the left means negative, - Radomir finished for her.

- ABOUT! Bravo! Wanda replied. “Look, we are making progress in the world of the unknown!” On the other hand, at the end of the world-famous Grand Canal is the island of San Giorgio, named after St. George, who defeated the dragon. It neutralizes negative energy.
“Sounds logical,” agreed Radomir.
- Opposite us - the symbol of Venice - St. Mark's Cathedral, - Wanda continued confidently. - And both saints, St. Mark and St. George, must drive out evil spirits and destroy the dark power of the dragon.
“But if you look closely at the palazzo, its asymmetry will become clearly visible. In addition, there are seventeen windows in the palace, which is very bad. And the inscription: "Genio Urbis Joannes Darius". Dedication to the city. Like a dedication to a dragon, Alexander said. The same. He also tried to find out what an anagram of twenty-three letters meant. It means: Sub ruina insidosa genero (betrayal is born under the rubble). This means that everyone who moves into this palace will be destroyed,” Wanda finished.

The book reads interestingly, but - Petra Reski never gave her version of the origin of the curse and left the ending open - it can be interpreted in different ways. For those who like to read books with humor, but without a logical ending - suitable.

I will add just a few interesting facts to the history of the Palazzo Dario.

They wanted to rebuild the palazzo. On the left is a drawing of the existing facade, on the right is a drawing of the proposed restructuring, which never took place:

The famous French impressionist painter Claude Monet and his wife visited Venice:

The history of the Palazzo Dario interested Claude Monet and the views of the building were immortalized in the artist's paintings:

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And we saw such a palazzo, having set off immediately from St. Mark's Square in this direction.