Doges' Palace (Palazzo Ducale)

Located in Venice’s renowned Piazza San Marco, adjacent to the Basilica di San Marco, the Doges’ Palace was home to the government of the former Venetian Republic from AD 697 to 1797. Although the palace was originally built in AD 814, the present structure was completed in the early 15th century. The palace was a showplace for artistry, craftsmanship and architecture, and still exemplifies the splendour of Venetian Gothic style. As well as ruling the city state, the doges (a Venetian word from the Latin dux, meaning leader) were great patrons of the arts and the palace is filled with works by Venetian Renaissance masters such as Veronese and Tintoretto. The Ponte dei Sospiri, or Bridge of Sighs, is an integral part of the palace and forms the link between the courts and the prisons across the canal. It is named after the noise prisoners used to make as they were led to confinement in the damp and gloomy cells, which can still be visited on a tour of the palace.
Air: Venice Marco Polo Airport. Water: Ferry: Public services. Rail: Train: Venezia Santa Lucia Station (Venice Station). Road: Bus: Public services. Car: A4 (from Turin); A13 (from Bologna); A1 (from Rome or Florence); A1, then A13, then A4 (from Naples); SS11 (from Padua).