Palazzo Giovanelli (also known as Palazzo Foscarini Giovanelli) is a palace in Venice, located in the
Santa Croce district, overlooking the right side of the
Grand Canal and the Rio di San Giovanni Decollato, before the
Fondaco dei Turchi
The Fondaco dei Turchi (Venetian: ''Fontego dei Turchi'', tr, Türk Hanı) is a Veneto-Gothic style palazzo, later on named as the Turks' Inn, on the Grand Canal of Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in nor ...
.
History
The palace dates back probably to the mid-15th century. The design is attributed to the architect
Filippo Calendario, the designer of
Palazzo Ducale Several palaces are named Ducal Palace (Italian: ''Palazzo Ducale'' ) because it was the seat or residence of a duke.
Notable palaces with the name include:
France
* Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon
* Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy
* ...
. The palazzo has, nevertheless, undergone many renovations over the past centuries; it was almost completely rebuilt in 1847-48 by the architect
Giovanni Battista Meduna. These interventions are visible on the side of the building facing the Rio Fosca river; they resulted in the mix of Gothic, late Renaissance, neo-Gothic style openings.
Giovanni Battista Donà, a member of one of the most important Venetian families, was an initial owner. Then the building was donated by the Republic to
Francesco Maria della Rovere, Duke of Urbino in 1538, who passed the ownership to the Giovannelli family as a debt payment. The Giovanellis were originally from
Bergamasco and became wealthy via investing in mines in Hungary. They bought the noble title in 1668, paying the enormous sum of 100,000 ducats to the Serenissima.
Architecture
The palazzo has three levels, including the ground floor. The
noble floor
The ''piano nobile'' ( Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ''bel étage'') is the principal floor of a palazzo. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the h ...
s are decorated with
quadrifora
Quadrifora is a type of four-light window. It appears in towers and belfries on top floors, where it is necessary to lighten the structure with wider openings. The quadrifora can also be a group closely set windows.
Overview
The quadrifora is d ...
s flanked by pairs of single-light windows. The lower quadrifora is supported by a
balustrade. The interiors were created by Meduna in the same period as the restoration of the
Ca' d'Oro
The Ca' d'Oro or Palazzo Santa Sofia is a palace on the Grand Canal in Venice, northern Italy. One of the older palaces in the city, its name means "golden house" due to the gilt and polychrome external decorations which once adorned its walls. ...
took place and were inspired by the neo-Gothic style. The interior rooms have coffered ceilings, stuccos, and marble chimneys. Also a very rich collection of art objects including ''
La tempesta
''The Tempest'' (Italian ''La Tempesta'') is a Renaissance painting by the Italian master Giorgione dated between 1506 and 1508. Originally commissioned by the Venetian noble Gabriele Vendramin, the painting is now in the Gallerie dell'Accademia ...
'' by
Giorgione
Giorgione (, , ; born Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco; 1477–78 or 1473–74 – 17 September 1510) was an Italian painter of the Venetian school during the High Renaissance, who died in his thirties. He is known for the elusive poetic quali ...
and ''Ritratto dell'Inglese'' by
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, nea ...
was kept in the palace.
See also
*
Palazzo Donà Giovannelli
References
{{Reflist
Houses completed in the 15th century
Giovanelli
Giovanelli
Gothic architecture in Venice