Palazzo Savorgnan is a palace in Venice, Italy, located in the Cannaregio district and overlooking Canale di Cannaregio, to the right of

Palazzo Priuli Manfrin The Palazzo Manfrin Venier, once known as the Palazzo Priuli a Cannaregio or Palazzo Priuli Manfrin, is a Baroque-style palace located facing the Cannaregio Canal in the sestiere of Cannaregio of Venice, Italy. It stands to the left of the Palaz ...

Attribution

Built in the 17th century for the noble Savorgnan family, the palazzo is a project by

Giuseppe Sardi Giuseppe Sardi (1680 – documented until 1768) was an Italian architect active in Rome. He was born at Sant'Angelo in Vado, Marche which was then part of the Papal States. Known primarily for his church of Santa Maria del Rosario in Marino o ...

, a Baroque architect of the nearby Palazzo Surian Bellotto, who was inspired by works of

Baldassare Longhena Baldassare Longhena (1598 – 18 February 1682) was an Italian architect, who worked mainly in Venice, where he was one of the greatest exponents of Baroque architecture of the period. Biography Born in Venice, Longhena studied under the architec ...

. However, the architectural scholar Elena Bassi admits that the palazzo might have been designed by Giuseppe Gaspari due to the similarity of the building with

Ca' Zenobio degli Armeni The Ca' Zenobio degli Armeni (Palazzo Zenobio, Ca' Zenobio) is a Baroque-style palace structure in the sestiere of Dorsoduro, in Venice, Italy. The nearby bridge Ponte del Soccorso connects it to the Palazzo Ariani. History The palace initially w ...

. Later, two wings were added to the initial structure.

History

In 1788, Palazzo Savorgnan was a victim of the serious fire, which damaged many parts, including the enormous eighteenth-century dormer and started a degradation process that lasted at least until the purchase of the structure by the Galvagna family in 1826. This family preserved a vast art gallery, with works of

Palma il Vecchio Palma Vecchio (c. 1480 – 30 July 1528), born Jacopo Palma, also known as Jacopo Negretti, was a Venetian painter of the Italian High Renaissance. He is called Palma Vecchio in English and Palma il Vecchio in Italian ("Palma the Elder") to di ...

and other great Venetian artists. The collection, however, was dispersed in 1855, following an auction. Today, many works from the Galvagna collection are kept at the National Gallery in London. In the early 20th century, the palazzo was transformed into a college for girls. Currently in good condition, it hosts the technical school for tourism "Francesco Algarotti".

Architecture

The façade is arranged in four levels underlined by the string courses. A simple rectangular portal is placed in the center of the ground floor covered with ashlar. The portal is flanked by single lancet windows. A large portego colonnade starts from the portal. The two

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 have openings decorated by stone frames with masks and balustrades; both floors have large

serliana A Venetian window (also known as a Serlian window) is a large tripartite window which is a key element in Palladian architecture. Although Sebastiano Serlio (1475–1554) did not invent it, the window features largely in the work of the Italian ar ...

s located at the center part of the façade with a pair of arched windows on each side. The second floor also has two large coats of arms. The attic, floor is planned symmetrically with the other floors, consisting of smaller squared windows. A recent restoration of the main façade underlined the stone and masonry details of the palazzo, revealing the modus operandi of construction workers of the part. In particular, the restoration revealed the ways in which the stone cornices and the masks were anchored—fixed not only with a joint with the wall but also with forged metal clamps in place. Other metal parts were used to fix the main beams to the mezzanine masonry, thus creating a holistic architectural ensemble. There is a vast garden in the back of the palazzo, still well-preserved, which, together with the garden of

, has been made a public park.

References

{{coord, 45.44401, 12.32418, format=dms, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title Houses completed in the 17th century Savorgnan Baroque architecture in Venice