Ca' d'Oro – Venice

Description

The Ca' D'Oro (literally: golden house) is one of the most complete and accomplished examples of that rich Venetian Gothic architecture of which Palazzo Ducale is undoubtedly the most famous representative and model.
Built on the Grand Canal between 1421 and 1440 on the site of a previous Venetian-Byzantine building as the residence for Marino Contarini, a wealthy Venetian merchant, it remained in the family until the mid 1800s. The new owner, prince Alessandro Trubetzkoi, had it restored by Giovanni Meduna, but his interventions were removed in 1894 when the palace was sold again. Baron Giorgio Franchetti wanted to restore the original 15^th century appearance as much as possible, adding the ground floor courtyard with mosaic flooring, on the model of Marciano mosaics, and white and red marble cladding on the walls.
Since 1927 the Ca' d'Oro has housed the galleria Franchetti, created from the private collection of the baron who donated his palace and belongings to the Kingdom of Italy.

Position on map