Along the Grand Canal, you can’t miss 15th-century Ca’ d’Oro's lacy arcaded Gothic facade , resplendent even without the original gold-leaf details that gave the palace its name (Golden House). Baron Franchetti donated to Venice this treasure-box palace packed with masterpieces displayed upstairs in Galleria Franchetti , alongside Renaissance wonders plundered from Veneto churches during Napoleon’s Italy conquest.
Napoleon had excellent taste in souvenirs, including bronzes, tapestries, paintings and sculpture ripped (sometimes literally) from church altars. Most were warehoused at Milan’s Brera Museum as Napoleonic war trophies until they were reclaimed by Venice for display here. Collection highlights include Titian's flushed, smouldering Venus at the Mirror (c 1550); Mantegna's arrow-riddled St Sebastian ; and Pietro Lombardo’s chubby-kneed Jesus leaning on his mother, in glistening Carrara marble that actually looks soft.
Step outside onto Ca' d'Oro's double-decker loggie (balconies), where Grand Canal views framed by Gothic arcades make the city’s most irresistible photo op.
