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Welcome to the Ducale Palace, Home of the Doge
One among many iconic Venice landmarks, the Doge's palace is instantly recognizable and impressive from the water. Before stepping inside, you can tour the canals in this street view by clicking-and-dragging, and also using the arrows...
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Spanning the canal between the New Prison and the palace is the famous Ponte de i Sospiri, which the poet Lord Byron translated from the Venetian as 'The Bridge of Sighs', imagining prisoners sighing at their final view of Venice before heading to the interrogation rooms...
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One side of the palace faces out over the grand canal, and the other looks onto the Piazza San Marco, Venice's bustling centre.
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Inside, the 14th Century palace is resplendent. You can wander the corridors here.
The palace museums house a glut of Renaissance art riches, from Carpaccio to Tintoretto to Veronese.
The Lion of Saint Mark (1516) by Vittore CarpaccioDoge's Palace
Vittore Carpaccio's Lion of St Mark (1516) is a jewel of the palace's collection. This huge painting depicts the symbol of both St Mark and the City of Venice, as well as the old Venetian Republic.
The lion's face rears, haloed and triumphant, in front of the Doge's Palace and the Piazza San Marco in the background.
The ships out in the lagoon are a nod to the Republic's naval power.
The lion's book shows the phrase "Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus. Hic requiescet corpus tuum" ("Peace be with thee, O Mark, my evangelist. Here thy body will rest"), which, local tradition has it, an angel spoke to St Mark when he arrived at the lagoon.
Cortile del Palazzo Ducale, Venezia (1876) by Carlo NayaThe Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Discover the full collection here.
