Doge's Palace 道奇宮

Venice, Veneto, Italy
One of the biggest attractions in Venice is the spectacular Doge’s Palace, also known as the Palazzo Ducale. Much of the present building dates from the 15th century – although an earlier building on the spot may date back to the 9th century - and has been rebuilt and added on to several times. The building was constructed in a dazzling pink and white marble design and has been described - fairly accurately - as an oversized wedding cake.

The Doge’s Palace was the residence of the Doge – or chief magistrate – until the fall of the Venetian Empire in 1797. The building still occupies a prime location in Venice – situated between the lagoon and the small square known as the Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square). One reason for its strategic location was to impress visitors who arrived in the city by sea.

The entire palace is ornately decorated although there are several rooms in the palace that shouldn’t be missed. Perhaps the most well known and spectacular room in the entire building is the huge Grand Council Chamber – in which over 2000 people routinely used to meet at one time.
The Council Chamber contains many paintings on the walls including portraits of the 76 Doges that have ruled Venice over the years. One of the portraits is that of the Doge Marin Faliero who was accused of treason and beheaded in 1355. To this day, his portrait is still covered with a black cloth.

The Council Chambers are filled with many other paintings but one of the most spectacular is a vast painting called Paradise by the artist Tintoretto – supposedly the world’s largest oil canvas. Tintoretto was in his 70s when he created the painting – an amazing achievement.
Of the other rooms at the palace, also worth seeing is the Senate Chamber. In this room, the Senate who consisted of a select group of 200 men, regularly met to pass laws. Another masterpiece by Tintoretto can be found in this room – The Triumph of Venice, painted on the ceiling.
Even the entrance to the Doge’s Palace is impressive. The Giant’s Staircase, as it is known, was designed by Sansovino and leads from the courtyard to the main palace entrance and was only used by the Doges – never by ordinary citizens. The Giant’s Staircase is so called because of the two huge statues of Neptune and Mars situated at the top of the stairs – symbolizing the state’s control over both sea and land.
Almost as well known as the palace itself is the romantically named Bridge of Sighs, which may just be Venice’s best known and most photographed bridge. The bridge links the palace to the nearby prison, and the name was supposedly coined by Casanova, who imagined the condemned prisoners taking their last breath while they crossed the bridge.
Casanova himself was perhaps the most famous prisoner at the Doge’s Palace – he was imprisoned there for purportedly being a freemason and publishing anti religious material. You can still see the cell that the infamous womanizer spent his time in.
Casanova – among his other claims to fame – was also the only person to escape from the prison, by prying up the floorboards in his cell. He then managed to flee from Venice by sea – supposedly having time to stop for a cup of coffee in St Marks Square on the way.
The Doge’s Palace can be toured individually. But one of the best ways to see the palace is to take the Secret Itineraries guided tour. This acclaimed tour takes visitors behind the scenes and shows many of the secrets of the enormous building – secret rooms, hidden passageways and the torture chamber.
Venice has many great monuments and museums. But a visit to the Doge’s Palace will give you a memorable insight into the very people who ruled Venice for so long and had so much influence over its destiny.