Page 122 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

120 EUROPE Doge's Palace, Venice

""-'"' At the heart of the powerful Venetian Republic, the magnificent
SWilZ. .... AUSTRIA ./-
Doge's Palace was the official residence of the doge (ruler).
DOGE'S PAlACE,p- -
FRANCE VENICE '\. rv-- Originally built in the 9th century, the present palace dates from
the 14th and early 15th centuries and is adorned with glorious
ITALY
paintings and sculptures. To create their airy Got hic masterpiece
(Gothic Style, see p5 4), the Venetians perched the bulk of the
palace (built in pink Veronese marble) on top of an apparent
TYRRHENIAN
SEA
fretwork of loggias and arcades (built from w hite lstrian stone).
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
IONIAN
SEA
Y The Bridge of Sighs,
with the Ponte della Y loggia Mars, by Sansovino
SALA DEL CONSIGLIO DEl DIEO Paglia beyond.
Th1s was the meeting room of the immensel y
powerful Council of Ten, founded in 1 310 to ~ Scala dei Gigantl
investigate and prosecute people for crimes The 15th-cenb..Jry Giant's
concerning the security of the state. N apoleon Staircase is crowned by
Ja cop o S an sovino' s huge
pilfered some of the paintings by Paolo
statues of Mars and Nepwne,
Veronese from the ceiling, but two of the finest symbols of Venice's power.
found their way back in 1920: Age and Ywth
and Juno Offering th€ fuca/ Cra.vn to Venice Arco Foscari
(both 1553-54) Offenders awaited sentence This triurJl)hal arch features
in the nearby room, the Sala della Bussola copies of Antonio Rizzo's
15th-<entury marble statues
In the same room is a lxxca di leone Q1on's
mouth), used to post secret denundations, one of Adam and Eve. ~~~ ~!;~iE~~
of several in the palace. Convicts were sent
across the Bridge of Sighs for incarceration.

THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS
According to legend, the Bridge of Sighs, built
in 1600 to link the Doge's Palace with the new
pnsons, takes its name from the lamentations
of the pnsoners as they made their way over to ~ Porta della Carta
the off1ces of the feaed State lnqt.isrtors Just This 15th-century Gothic
gate is the prindpal
belcm the leaded roof of the Doge's Palace are
entrance to the palace.
the (iombi cells. Prisoners held here were more F rom it, a vaulted
comfortable than those in the pozzi cells 1n pa ssag evvay leads to the
the dungeons at ground level One of the more Arco Foscari and the
internal courtyard. -----...UBD<Qk.ll~!'U~~
famous inmates was the Venetian libertine
Casanova, who was incarcerated here in 1 755.
H e made a daring escape from his cell in the
picmbithrough a hole in the roof. Main entrance ---------

CHOOSING A DOGE
The Doge's Palace was the Venetian Republic's
seat of power, and home to its ruers. New
doges were nominated in the Sal a dello Y Sala del Maggior Consiglio
Scrut1 nio, and were chosen from the members This vast ha II was used as a
of the M aggior Consiglio, Venice's Great meeting place for members
of Venice's Great Council.
Council A lengthy and convoluted system was
Tintoretto's huge P aradise
used to count votes during dogal elections: a (1590) fills the end wall. Port'! della Cart'! >-
method designed to prevent candidates from
bribing their way to power. Once elected, a
doge occupied the post for the rest of his
lifet1me, but numerous restrictions were placed
on h1m man attempt to prevent h1m from
exploetlng his position. Despite the precautions,
many doges met their deaths in office, or were
sent 1 nto exile for activities such as conspmng
against the state. Others survived in office for
many years: the diplomat doge Leonardo
L oredan ruled for 20 years.
A Torture Chamber