THE GOLDEN HOUSE (CA’ D’ORO)
The construction of the Golden House was ordered in the first half of fifteenth Century by Marino Contarini, a Venetian merchant. It is one of the symbols of Venice and nowadays site of the Giorgio Franchetti Gallery, being this man the one who donated his house to the Italian State in 1915.
It is an example of late gothic style made by white and red marble of Verona, with an asymmetrical structure, because it was never completed. The façade is realized in gothic style, with the lower part showing an open gallery with five arches, while the upper part there are two classes of windows with a rich decoration. The terminal part of the façade has a series of pinnacles.
In the museum you can admire the collection of art works donated by the Baron Franchetti and enriched afterwards by new collections. Among these you can find works by Giovanni Bellini, Carpaccio, Tiziano, Tintoretto, van Eyck, Giorgione and the famous “San Sebastian” by the Mantegna. There are also Venetian ceramics, Renaissance marbles, a collection of bronzes, some Roman and Grecian statues and fragments.