Beyond the romantic canals and gondolas, Venice has another treasure: its museums.
They go beyond Saint Mark's and the Doge's Palace.
Let me introduce you to the city's most important museums.
Venice Museum: article summary
Venice Museum: Doge's Palace
For centuries, the Doge's Palace was the residence of the Doge, Venice's political leader. It also served as the home of the state's political bodies.
Administrative offices, courthouses, grand staircases, council chambers, apartments and prisons, all integrated into this beautiful, complex building.
Since 1923, the Palazzo Ducale has told the story of the Serenissima, the longest known republic.
La Ca'Rezzonico
The majestic Palazzo Ca'Rezzonico is now one of Venice's most prized museums.
The combination of the rich works of art on display and the frescoes marked a new birth in the export of Murano glass. This place remains an incredible testimony to the richest century of Venetian life.
Venice Museum: the Correr Museum
The Museo Correr, a former residence of the Austrian sovereigns and the King of Italy, presents a wide range of collections recounting the history of Venice from the 13th to the 19th century.
Built on top of a destroyed church, the "Napoleonic Wing", with its neo-classical architecture and Empire-style decorations, was intended as a residence for the new sovereign. However, the ended in the 19th century under Austrian rule.
Used for 38 years as the official residence of the young sovereigns Franz Joseph and Elisabeth, "Sissi", it became the Venetian residence of the King of Italy in 1866.
La Ca' Goldoni
Ca' Centani, or Centanni, is also sometimes called "Casa di Carlo Goldoni". Built in the 15th century, it is a Gothic palace that still displays the typical layout and elements of late 14th-century Venetian civil architecture, despite its many renovations.
Owned by the Rizzi family, the palace was leased to the Zentani or Centani family, hence its future name.
Towards the end of the 17th century, Carlo Goldoni's paternal grandfather, Carlo Alessandro, a notary from Modena, settled here. The Goldoni family remained in this house until 1719.
In 1914, Aldo Ravà, a renowned scholar of 18th-century Venice, together with Count Piero Foscari and Commander Antonio Pellegrini, bought the palace from its owner, Countess Ida Manassero Camozzo, with the idea of using it to house a museum dedicated to the great playwright.
The project failed due to the outbreak of war, and in 1931, Ca' Centani was bequeathed to the Municipality of Venice for restoration and renovation. became the Goldoni Museum and a center for theatrical studies.
The Naval Museum
Since 1600, Venice's Naval Museum has been a place dedicated to the splendor of Venetian naval tradition.
Housed in an 11th-century palazzo in Campo San Biagio (Arsenale), the museum's collection is spread over five levels, with a total of 42 exhibition rooms.
The building, constructed in the mid-16th century, served as an oar workshop and storage facility. Shortly after its completion in 1577, it was temporarily adapted to house the Grand Council. This period followed the disastrous fire which destroyed a large part of the Palazzo Ducale.
The rooms essentially retained their function as a workshop specializing in oar production, supported by a blacksmith's shop and storage areas, until the mid-19th century.
Since 1980, the oar workshop area has been known as the "Pavillon des Navires". It houses of great historical importance as an annex to the museum.
Murano Glass Museum
Originally a Gothic palace, it became the residence of Bishop Marco Giustinian in 1659. He donated it to the diocese of Torcello.
In 1805, the palace became the town hall of Murano. The museum was founded in 1861 and was housed on the second floor. However, the rapid growth of the collection led the museum to occupy the entire building.
The collection features unique pieces dating back to the 5th century BC. There are also works from the golden age of glassmaking between the 14th and 17th centuries. Of particular note is the 60-branch chandelier on the second floor, presented at the first exhibition of the Murano glass in 1864, was awarded the gold medal.
Venice Museum: the Lace Museum
Thanks to the work of the Adriana Marcello Foundation, in 1978 the Municipality of Venice founded the "Consortium for Burano Lace", to revive and reassess the ancient art of Merletto di Burano, or Burano lace.
After commissioning and cataloguing historical documents and drawings, the Lace Museum opened in the building that served as Burano's Lace School from 1872 to 1970.
This museum features rare pieces that offer a glimpse into the history of lacemaking in Burano.
There are many other museums in Venice. However, you can't leave the city without visit at least once the establishments I've presented in this article!
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