![]() The stories above were used for family and servant accommodation. Lateral wings were used as administrative offices. The arched loggia generally took up most of the width of the first floor. The first floor contained a similar main hall or portego, used initially as a display area for merchandise but later it became a splendid setting for entertaining. Also note the two additional floors added above later. ![]() To the rear was a courtyard with an external staircase to the piano-nobile (or noble floor) on the first floor.Ībove: Ca’da Mosta 13th century, showing typical Casa-Fondaco style. The loggia covered the central hall with a “T” plan view. This was flanked on each side by a row of smaller rooms, used for storage. Typically, at ground floor level, one can see an arcade of columns with smoothly rounded tops forming a loggia (or gallery), which opened into a portego (or main entrance hall), used primarily for loading/unloading. The distribution of the arches and windows on different levels of the facade, reflect the function of the casa-fondaco and the hierarchy of its internal spaces. In Venice only a few examples of Byzantine palaces from the 13 th and 14th century have survived and most of those that still exist have been thoroughly modified during later centuries mostly to Gothic or Renaissance styles. Brick replaced stone, classical orders were used more freely, mosaics replaced carved decoration, and complex domes were erected. Gradually, a style emerged which imbued certain influences from the Near East and used the Greek cross plan for the church architecture. Early Byzantine architecture is essentially a continuation of Roman architecture. The empire emerged gradually after AD 330, when Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium, which was later named Constantinople and is now Istanbul. The backs of the buildings are not usually elaborately decorated like the water frontage.īyzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The wide and deep Grand Canal made it ideal for delivering goods in large vessels, right to the palace-warehouse. The front of a Venetian palace always faces the water because that was the way one approached it – by boat. Today, most of these magnificent building carries the title Palazzo, but there still are some huge and very famous palaces with humble names like Ca’Rezzonico & Ca’d’Oro. All other palaces had to be called simply House (Ca’ – short for Casa). Only a few of the palaces are still occupied by aristocratic families for whom they were built most have been turned into offices, apartments, hotels, museums or government buildings.īy ancient law, only one palace was allowed to carry the title Palace (Palazzo) and that was the Doges’ Palace (Palazzo Ducale) the home of the head of the Venetian state. The 4 km (2 ½ mile) canal shaped like an inverted “S”, bisects the six sestieri (districts) equally. A trip up and down the canal on a vaporetto (accelerato no.1), between the Stazione Ferrovia (railway station) or Piazzale Roma (bus station) and the Basino di San Marco (St Marks Basin), is one of life’s great experiences. ![]() There is no finer way to appreciate these grand houses than from the water. Venetian Palace Architectural Styles: Byzantine – Venetian Gothic – Renaissance – Baroque – Neoclassical. Please read this, in conjunction with my other post “Bridges of the Grand Canal” and “The Grand Canal of Venice” to get a full appreciation of this magnificent waterway and its architecture. It also was the most elaborately decorated. The front of a Venetian palace always faces the water, because that was the way one approached it – by boat. Elements of this dual functionality can be traced through later architectural styles. The early palaces were both the home and workplace (warehouse) of the merchant nobility and known as casa-fondaco. The palaces, especially along the Grand Canal embody in both structure and style, not only the history of Venetian architecture but also the entrepreneurial nature of the city’s ruling classes.
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