Doge’s Palace

The Palazzo Ducale, formerly also Palazzo Dogale as it was the seat of the doge, one of the symbols of the city of Venice and a masterpiece of Venetian Gothic, is a building that stands in the monumental area of Piazza San Marco, in the San Marco district, between the small square of the same name and the pier of Palazzo Ducale, adjacent to the Basilica of San Marco.

Ancient seat of the Doge and the Venetian magistracies, founded after 812, hit several times by fires and consequently rebuilt, it followed the history of the Serenissima, from its dawn until its fall: once Venice was annexed to the kingdom of Italy and the building passed under the jurisdiction of the latter, it became a museum. Today it houses the headquarters of the Civic Museum of Palazzo Ducale, part of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE).