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The
Doge’s Palace was for hundreds of years the center of Venetian government and
the resident of the Doge, the republic’s chief magistrate. Doges were elected by members of the
aristocracy through different schemes that evolved over the years, gradually
becoming more complex. The extent of the
Doge’s power also evolved over the years, though he was generally elected for
life. The position of Doge seems to have
been established as early as 700 AD, but the current palace wasn’t constructed until
the 1309 through 1424 period, sort of.
Since that time there have been a number of fires and repairs and
renovations and expansions, but since 1797 and the French takeover there have
been no Doges.
After
crossing back across the
On exiting the museum, we found that the weather had taken a turn for the worse, becoming a steady drizzle. We walked over to the Doge’s Palace (the entrance is on the waterfront side) and used our combination tickets to enter. After the entrance, we took a flight of stairs to our right up to a walkway that gave us a good view of the wet courtyard. At the north end of the courtyard was an elaborate façade to what was apparently the Doge’s personal entrance to St. Mark’s Basilica, which he used as his private chapel.
Foscari Arch, North End of Courtyard | Statues Above Foscari Arch |
North End of Courtyard
HD Video (17.8 MB) SD Video (5.8 MB)
Photography in the Palace was
technically prohibited, but we were able to get a few pictures here and there. From the walkway, we took another stairway up
and walked through several rooms, including both the Doge’s apartments and
official rooms for the running of the republic.
There were many magnificent paintings and paneled ceilings by Veronese,
Tintoretto and others. One of these
paintings, Tintoretto’s
Ceiling Above Stairs | Ceiling Above Stairs |
Paradise, Tintoretto (1588-94), Sala del Maggior Consiglio
From the Palace building,
we were able to use the
Connie in Jail | Prison Courtyard |
Prison Courtyard and View from Bridge of Sighs HD Video (19.4 MB) SD Video (7.9 MB) | Window, Bridge of Sighs |
San Giorgio Maggiore from Bridge of Sighs
After returning to the main building, we were routed back to the courtyard, where we posed for pictures in front of the Giant’s Staircase, a fenced-off outdoor stairway flanked by statues of Neptune and Mars.
Courtyard and Foscari Arch HD Video (19.3 MB) SD Video (7.4 MB) | The Giants' Staircase |
Mars, Neptune and Lion of St. Mark | The Giants' Staircase HD Video (15.0 MB) SD Video (7.2 MB) |
This ended our visit, and we
exited the Palace through a door which left us across the Piazzetta from the
campanile of Piazza San Marco.
Porta della Carta (Exit)
Outside the Exit
The Campanile
Campanile (Top, Earlier)
Despite
the continuing drizzle, Bob and Connie were interested in going to the top of
the campanile, but Nella was not. Nella
found a bench under the arcaded passage along the side of the Doge’s Palace,
where she sat down and pulled out a book to read. Bob and Connie walked across and paid 8 Euros
apiece (there was uncharacteristically no line, maybe because of the weather)
and rode the elevator to the top.
Campanile Entrance - Typical Line | Bob and Elevator |
The
current campanile is not the original one, having been completed less than 100
years ago. Its predecessor was finished
in the early 16th Century, but collapsed on July 14, 1902. There were no fatalities, as warning cracks
appeared well before the collapse, and the campanile politely collapsed in a
way that didn’t do severe damage to any other structures (except for the
Loggetta at its base). Many donations
came in for its reconstruction, and the new campanile opened in 1912, this time
with an elevator in its center (most welcome, as the tower is 323 feet tall). Apparently some instability in its foundation
has recently been found, as there was construction going on to strengthen it
during our visit.
Undaunted by the danger, we enjoyed the spectacular 360-degree view immensely.
Bell Tower | Roof of Basilica |
Doge's Palace and Waterfront | View to the East HD Video (19.4 MB) SD Video (8.5 MB) |
San Giorgio Maggiore | Piazzetta and Gondolas |
End of Grand Canal | Dogana di Mare |
Santa Maria della Salute | View to the South HD Video (18.9 MB) SD Video (4.6 MB) |
Piazza San Marco | Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari Church |
View to the West HD Video (20.3 MB) SD Video (10.6 MB) | View to the North |
Santi Giovanni e Paolo Church | View to the North HD Video (20.4 MB) SD Video (10.2 MB) |
And then it was 6:30, and the gigantic bells
started to move. Huge bells can make a
lot of noise, which is undoubtedly the idea, but when you’re only a few feet
away from them, this is way more noise than is strictly necessary, and the
sound, which went on for five minutes or so, can be felt in one’s internal
organs as well as heard.
The Bells
HD Video (19.6 MB) SD Video (5.6 MB)
The Bells, Continued
HD Video (19.6 MB) SD Video (5.7 MB)
With
ears ringing following this performance, we descended the elevator and rejoined
Nella.
Nella Reading Book | South End of Basilica |
The Basilica | The Basilica HD Video (16.9 MB) SD Video (9.6 MB) |
Jewelry Shopping
HD Video (12.1 MB) SD Video (9.4 MB)
Then we collected Philip from the hotel to which he had returned and found dinner. After dinner we returned to our respective hotels to rest up for our upcoming travel day. Though after dark, Bob went out and took a few last pictures and listened to some of the live music performed every evening in the Piazza.
Basilica and Orchestra HD Video (19.6 MB) SD Video (8.1 MB) | San Giorgio Maggiore |
South End of Basilica | Bar Americano Under Clock Tower |
Orchestra HD Video (19.8 MB) SD Video (6.2 MB) | Procuratie Vecchie |