Palazzo Venezia (National Museum). A piece of Rome

One of the most grandiose squares in Rome is Piazza Venezia, where six significant Roman streets intersect - via del Corso, via Nazionale, via Cesare Battisti, via del Plebescito, via del Teatro Marcello, via Nazionale. From here the streets of Roman shopping radiate, with a direct road leading to the colorful Roman quarter of Trastevere and to St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. The majestic street of the Imperial Forums (via dei Fori Imperiali) also begins here, along which you can walk straight to the Colosseum.

Therefore, Piazza Venezia is the almost ideal geometric center of Rome and the pulsating heart of the Eternal City.

History, myths and interesting facts

Piazza Venezia was formed in the mid-15th century immediately after the construction of the Palazzo Venezia of the same name, the residence of the Venetian cardinal Petro Barbo, who soon became Pope under the name Paul II. The Palace of Venice was built from travertine taken from the quarries of the Colosseum and the Theater of Marcellus: during the Middle Ages, these ancient monuments were not given any importance - cows were grazed in the Roman Forums, and the Colosseum turned into a huge quarry building materials for Roman churches and palaces.

A lover of holidays and carnivals, Pope Paul II decided to move the venue of the Roman Carnival from the Testaccio area to Piazza Venezia and via del Corso. The main event of the carnival was the wild horse race called "corsa dei Barberi". Riderless horses, spurred by hot tar, ran along Corso all the way to Piazza Venezia. At the end of the Corso, huge red canvases were stretched, upon stumbling upon which the horse had to stop.

Horse racing was incredibly popular among the Roman people until King Victor Emmanuel II in 1874, after the death of a teenager who accidentally fell under the hooves of a horse, decided to abolish this public entertainment.

Modern square

Around the same time, after the death of King Victor Emmanuel, Piazza Venice radically changed its appearance - the construction of the Vittoriano monument (Altar of the Fatherland) began and some of the houses in the square adjacent to the Capitoline Hill had to be demolished. And the square itself should be moved closer to Via del Corso.

In the corner of the square, not far from the Church of San Marco, there is a female bust. This is the famous Roman "talking" statue of Madame Lucretia. Talking statues in papal Rome were sculptures to which leaflets criticizing the government, satirical pamphlets on a political topic, and any expressions of public discontent could be anonymously attached. Open criticism of the authorities in these times was strictly persecuted and very often led to prison and execution, so the Roman people invented this way of expressing their discontent. Pamphlets were often posted at night so that no one could catch their author.

If you look from Piazza Venezia towards Via del Corso, you will see a palace with a green shuttered balcony. This is the so-called Bonnaparte Palace, the favorite balcony of Napoleon's mother, Letitia Bonaparte. Its shutters preserve the Roman legend that Madame Bonaparte was extremely talkative and curious - sitting with her maid on the balcony, she loudly discussed the outfits of passing ladies. Such frivolous behavior spoiled the reputation of the French ruler, and he ordered the mother’s balcony to be closed with shutters.

Palace of Venice and surroundings

In Piazza Venezia there is the Cone Fountain. This ancient fountain was once found here during excavations; its original is now located in the Vatican Museums. During the Renaissance, this fountain, moved to the Vatican, served the faithful and pilgrims arriving at St. Peter's Basilica. They washed their hands and faces in the fountain before entering the cathedral and turning to God.

Palace of Venice in different times and eras it has changed many owners. In addition to its original purpose - the Papal Residence, it was the embassy of the Republic of Venice, later it became Austrian property and was used as the embassy of Austria, and later of Austria-Hungary. And in 1916, it finally returned to the ownership of the Italian state. Since 1929, the fascist party led by Benito Mussolini was located in the palace.

Balcony with Italy flag and European Union in the palace of Venice - nothing more than the balcony of Mussolini's office, from where he solemnly declared war on France and Britain in 1940, addressing a crowded audience.

Now inside the palace there is the Museum of the Lazio Region: here you can see paintings dedicated to the history of Italy from the Middle Ages to the 18-19 centuries, furniture, sculptures, and household items.

The museum is open every day except Monday from 8.30 to 19.30 (the ticket office closes at 18.30). Entrance fee: 5 euros. Entrance: via del Plebiscito 18

Venice is a surprisingly multifaceted city, rich in its history, which has seen its ups and downs. Among all this, there was a place for the history of the cursed Palazzo Dario. The story is so famous that the artist Claude Monet was interested in it, and venerable writers dedicated their works to it... But I have not heard the answer to this story. Maybe you know her? It’s easy to miss a lot in the information flow. In the meantime, here’s a story about what cast such a dark shadow over one of the most unusual palazzos in Venice.

Almost no building in Venice was mentioned in Donna Leon’s detective stories, including Palazzo Dario:
Brunetti stood in the same place for a minute, then went to one of the windows and lifted the curtain. The Grand Canal stretched below, the sun's reflections played on the water, reflected on the walls of Palazzo Dario located to the left; the golden tiles from which the mosaic was made on the façade of the palace caught the light emanating from the water; breaking up into many sparks, he again rushed down to the canal. Boats sailed past, time passed.
Donna Leon, Venetian Counting

Small red dot on the map - Palazzo Dario:

First a note from the wiki:

Ca" Dario or Palazzo Dario (Italian: Ca" Dario, Palazzo Dario) is a palace in Venice, in the Dorsoduro district. One side faces the Grand Canal, the other faces Barbaro Square. Opposite the palace is the marina of Santa Maria de Giglio. The palace is a magnificent example of Renaissance architecture. The mosaic facade made of colored marble attracts attention. The palace was built in 1487. Among the owners of the mansion was the French poet Henri de Regnier, who lived here at the end of the 19th century. The palace is also famous for the fact that one of the weddings of the famous film director Woody Allen took place here. The palace has a bad reputation as a cursed house. The owners of the mansion were repeatedly subjected to violence, became bankrupt or committed suicide. last death occurred in 1993, when one of the richest Italian industrialists shot himself here after a corruption scandal broke out. In 2005, German writer Petra Reske published the best-selling book Palazzo Dario.
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B0%27_%D0%94%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BE

Here are quotes from the said book by Petra Reschi (slightly abbreviated and highlighted in blue) and we will continue the story about Palazzo Dario. I will add my notes to the quotes in black.

“More precisely, they call it Ka Dario,” said Wanda's companion. – Previously, all the palaces in Venice were called “Ca”, from casa, and only the Doge’s Palace was called a palazzo, Palazzo Ducale. But today things are looked at more broadly. You are surprised, signorina, aren't you? Yes, there is a lot that foreigners don’t know. Just imagine, one American woman recently asked me why the city is so flooded with water. I answered her: “Signora, this is how we wash the streets.”

The map shows the small Palazzo Dario in the center and other palazzos nearby:

Reschi's book details the curse of the palazzo and how it affected its inhabitants. Here are just a few brief mentions:

“I mean the curse,” he replied, somewhat annoyed that she had interrupted him. “The palazzo where your uncle lives brings bad luck.” Many Venetians say that Palazzo Dario especially does not like businessmen, but, on the contrary, saves artists. We Venetians always try to find a pattern in everything. But she's not here. Massimo Miniato, for example, was a businessman and survived in this palace. And the antiques dealer Fabio delle Fenestrelle, on the contrary, in my opinion, was more of an artist. The only pattern that I see here is that misfortune, like powdery mildew, falls on each of its inhabitants. Very few survived and left the palace themselves.

– The first tenant of Ka Dario, as far as I remember, was the American Robert Boulder. After him there was Fabio delle Fenestrelle. He ran an antique store. After him there was a hippie, Mick Swinton, he was the manager of the rock band What. Then Massimo Miniato Sassoferato, financier, as he called himself, whatever that means. And then Aldo Vergato. The richest man in Italy. You've heard about him, of course. Even Ka Dario didn't bring him happiness, that's for sure. Oh yeah, I probably forgot to mention that none of them survived in Palazzo Dario. That is, there was one who survived, but he was also unlucky. And these are only those who have lived there in the last fifty years. If you think about the fact that the palazzo is over five hundred years old, who knows what scenes were played out there that we know nothing about.

“In Ka Dario,” the gentleman answered, “they always celebrated something, at all times.” I think there is hardly another palazzo in which so much fun was had. During the times of Mick Swinton and Miniato, the parties boomed one after another. “Kilograms of cocaine. These were not holidays, these were orgies." “Bras and panties just flew out of the windows,” said taxi drivers who were forced to stand down at the pier all night long.

– During Vergato’s time, Ca Dario was calm. And after his death, the house was empty for quite a long time, no one dared to buy it, although the price was quite bearable. In my opinion, at first this American director became interested in him. He just had a burning desire, still, ten billion for a Renaissance palazzo on the world-famous Grand Canal - it's just a gift. He always comes to Venice with his wife on New Year's Eve and stays at the Hotel Gritti, just opposite the Ca Dario. Perhaps one day at breakfast he looked at the house and calculated how many nights he would have to spend in Venice to justify those ten billion. And with prices like those at the Gritti Hotel, these nights wouldn't be that many. There, renting one suite costs a million, that is, the cost of almost ten thousand nights in Ca Dario. And if he were destined to spend them there, they would fly by in thirty years, which for a city like Venice is tantamount to the flap of a wing. However, he refused the deal. They say he learned about the curse of the palazzo.

All his life, Boulder dreamed of living on the world famous Grand Canal in Venice. He knew that many famous singers, composers, artists, writers and poets lived in the fashionable palazzos of the world famous Grand Canal: Hemingway and Rainer Maria Rilke, Hugo von Hoffmannstel and Marcel Proust, and even the Queen Mother herself. He bought Palazzo Dario from a mysterious guy whom he had seen only twice in his life at the Florian cafe. The eyes of this type burned like coals. He offered his empty palace at a ridiculous price. Boulder, who never turned down a good deal, agreed without hesitation. Did he then assume that by concluding this deal, he thereby handed over his soul to a dark force?

People like Robert Boulder are unlikely to be sensitive to such sensations at all. And even more so, Americans, unlike Europeans, are completely insensitive to spiritualistic phenomena. If a mysterious man with sparkling eyes had told Boulder that there was a curse on Palazzo Dario that had cost the lives of all its previous owners, he would have laughed in response. Perhaps he might have been impressed by the accident that befell Mario del Monaco, the famous tenor, after he had negotiated a price with a mysterious man and signed a contract to purchase the ill-fated palace. On the way back to Treviso, the singer's elegant limousine overturned and, still recovering from his terrible injuries, he canceled the purchase of Ca Dario.

Boulder, however, took ownership of Palazzo Dario with complete confidence. After stormily celebrating the signing of the purchase agreement at the Café Florian, he boarded a gondola on St. Mark's Quay. The moon, making its night round, entailed a plume of a light path along the water of the world-famous Grand Canal. A ghostly radiance trailed like a shroud over the Palazzo Dario, but Baulder didn't feel the cold fingers of the curse touch him.
– Stunning Venetian light! he sighed as the gondolier rowed steadily through the black water of the world-famous Grand Canal.

The boy's heart skipped a beat as Boulder promptly invited him to dinner at the Palazzo Dario.
A little later they entered the palace through the wrought iron gates. Boulder leaned his shoulder against the heavy oak door, and Girolamo found himself in a room with a cool white marble floor bathed in soft, warm amber light from tall candles. There were old musical instruments: harps, cymbals, lyres and spinets.
- Are you into music? whispered Girolamo.
“No,” Boulder answered and smiled with some contempt. “It was Juan who wanted to furnish the salon with musical instruments.”

He then took him around the palace and even showed him the “luxurious” bathroom, noting the delight with which Girolamo looked at the bidet made from a single piece of marble. In the salon, the boy especially liked the tiger skins with tan marks, and in the hallway he was scared to death by the small marble children's sarcophagi.
“Oh, these are just hat stands,” Boulder smiled, noticing that the boy was scared.

On the topic of interiors and exteriors of the palazzo:

Among its rivals challenging each other on the world-famous Grand Canal, Palazzo Dario looked exhausted. Yellow-gray fragility incarnate. A house of cards that only holds up because its base is wider than the upper floors. it seemed that it was enough to just touch a small piece of its marble and the entire palace would silently collapse and collapse into the world famous Grand Canal. On the base of the palace was engraved GENIO URBIS JOANNES DARIO - “Giovanni Dario to the genius of the city.” Above, three narrow windows with pointed arches, chained with triple bars, rushed upward, as if they were intended to protect the harem. The marble façade was decorated with medallions made of green granite and red porphyry - the painted, made-up face of the palace was reflected in the water.

But even this beautiful mask could not hide the conspicuous thinness, although it set off all three floors - two piano nobile, aristocratic floors, conceived for viewing, and not as housing, and a modest, restrained upper floor. The palazzo stretched coyly and swaggered in its entire appearance, but individually each floor was nothing more than an impressive salon. On the ground floor was the Mohamed Salon, named after Sultan Mohamed II, to whom the architect Giovanni Dario owed his fame and fortune.

On the second floor there was a pink salon. Next to it was a library, a luxurious bathroom, a bedroom, small guest rooms and closets with storage.

Within the walls of the palace pier it was cold, damp and dark. Generations of Venetian architecture students devoted their diploma theses to these marble arches, vaults and columns of late medieval and Renaissance piers and quays.

The marble vaults were washed away by the tides, and they were completely covered with pockmarks and chips due to endless flooding. On the pier of Sopraport, two marble figurines of boys, whose foreskin had been chewed off by water, held in their hands the turquoise and white striped coat of arms of the Dario family. Everything that was once beautiful about them crumbled and disappeared: limbs, curls, noses - now the salt was biting into their faces. One of them had such a cavity in the lower part of his face, as if he had leprosy.

Take the stairs to the second floor. The corridor was decorated with gilded plaster rosettes - examples of eerie rococo. But what can you do? For five centuries, the palazzo digested all its inhabitants, calmly and silently.

Some of them believed that they could express themselves by building a marble fountain, while others tried to embody their creative impulses by equipping the palace with a dumbwaiter to deliver food to the upper floors.

But what all its residents valued as the individuality of the house - the white and golden tiled stoves of the Rococo era and the ceilings decorated with plaster rosettes, was nothing more than worthless tinsel decoration, which, however, could not spoil the true originality and individuality of the Palazzo Dario.

Of the three floors of the palazzo, Radomir occupied mainly only the third. On the second floor, that is, the first of the piano nobile, one could only live in the summer. The Sovraintendenza, the Office for the Protection of Monuments, has prohibited the heating of this salon in order to preserve the unique examples of stucco in it. Therefore, the furniture on the second floor was dozing in winter months under white sheets. Radomir opened this piano nobile only in exceptional cases, for example, when he received photographers from publishing houses producing albums of Venice, naturally, for a certain monetary compensation.

He didn’t care in which album the photographs of his palace would appear: “Life in Venice”, “Venetian Palazzos”, “Palazzo of the world famous Grand Canal” - Radomir and his Palazzo Dario should have appeared in any of them: Palazzo Dario - view from water; Palazzo Dario - view from the garden; detail of the marble fountain at the entrance; second floor fountain; luxurious third floor bathroom.

Second floor. Window glass, cast with a generous dose of lead, painted the interior a bright pink color.

The pink salon was crammed with furniture, of which until now only an Empire style couch could be used. Everything else: chairs with graceful legs, chests, cabinets, chests of drawers, magnificent inlaid tables and secretaries made of root wood - seemed to demonstrate indignation at the very idea of using them for their intended purpose.

“You know, in a certain sense, I have a special relationship with Palazzo Dario, because thanks to me, it preserved the original furniture,” he said proudly. “Who knows what would have happened if someone else had bought it.” The best items from it would then be in Milanese salons or in America. And Venetian antiques would not tolerate this. He needs the Venetian climate. High humidity. If you put it in an American apartment, where the air conditioner works in the summer and everything dries out in the winter due to heating, it will very soon come to an end.

From the history of the owners of the palazzo:

– Palazzo Dario holds many secrets for me as an art historian. A lot of circumstances hide the truth about him. For a long time there was not a single worthy historical evidence, except for the inscription "Genio Urbis Joannes Darius" on the facade, but such a meager message did not limit human imagination, rather the opposite. And perhaps this is precisely what should be considered as the source of endless stories about the palace.

- Palazzo Dario is the only one in Venice named after its creator. The inscription on the facade is a sign of Giovanni Dario's respect for his homeland. Giovanni Dario was one of the few owners of palaces on the world-famous Grand Canal who were not aristocrats. Most likely, the aristocrats of the world-famous Grand Canal considered him an upstart, and all his life he fought for public recognition.

“Once I was looking at the magnificent decoration of this facade, and it seemed to me that I saw in it the elegant nuances of the early Lombard style.
... a balcony with an iron balustrade, installed in the 18th century, emphasizes the magnificence of the facade decoration, the same can be said about the lattice for the lower windows near the water itself.

One of the rooms was almost entirely covered in copper. Above the windows of the hall on the second floor there is a surprisingly inlaid gothic cornice. Palazzo Dario, undoubtedly, became a worthy possession and home of its creator - Giovanni Dario, whose name we read on the facade.

– The Dario family belongs to the most famous and ancient in Venice. It comes from Crete. Giovanni Dario was supposedly born in 1414. By origin he was a tradesman, not a patrician, and a member of, on the one hand, the honorary, and on the other hand, the minor group of Senate secretaries. He performed various duties in the Council of Ten, led quite significant departments in the Senate and carried out various assignments...
– Many historians have appreciated the merits of Giovanni Dario. Tentori, for example, admires him, almost idolizes him, as a person with a wealth of experience and talent as a politician. Lecomte of the Faculty of History at the University of Montelier writes that Dario was already appointed ambassador of the Republic in 1450. However, this statement is not scientific; it is unproven.

...To Paolo Morosini, our honored historian from Padua, we owe the fact that it was Giovanni Dario who managed to make peace with the Sultan of Turkey, the terrible Mohamed II, conqueror of Constantinople...
– Dario was authorized in 1478 by Doge Giovanni Mocenigo with unlimited rights to decide and conclude peace with Mohamed II.
– Giovanni Dario was held in high esteem in Constantinople, as evidenced by two extremely interesting letters in which he describes the luxurious reception he received in that city...
...for establishing peace with Mohamed II, the Republic granted him possession of Noventa in Padua and, in addition, a thousand ducats from the salt magistracy as his dowry illegitimate daughter Marietta. And Mohamed gave him three gold-woven outfits...

...and Dario's family settled in the palace: Dario with his mistress Chiara, his daughter Marietta and his two nephews Andrea and Francesco Pantaleo.
- How? Giovanni Dario was not married?
- Apparently not. But there is no direct indication of this. Giovanni Dario was seventy-five years old when he settled in his palace, and his life was already clouded with thoughts of illness and death. Then he made a will. And in the same year, his daughter Marietta married the patrician Vincenzo Barbaro.

These Barbaros were a highly influential and aristocratic family. They lived in a nearby palazzo. On May 1, 1494, at the age of eighty, Giovanni Dario died. After his death, the palace passed into the possession of the Barbaro family. Until the beginning of the 19th century it remained their property. With the death of Dario, some kind of fate came upon his heirs and descendants...
– Marietta was unlucky with her husband; Vincenzo Barbaro’s temper and anger were known to everyone. Soon he was expelled from the Grand Council for ten years for insulting one lawyer.

“Marietta suffered because of her husband’s shameful position. And after the death of her father, she also died soon. Young and unhappy. She was not even twenty. In the prime of youth! In the bedroom of the Palazzo Dario from a heart attack. And a few years after her death, Dario’s nephews were brutally and mysteriously killed by robbers. Neither he nor his daughter found peace even after death. The church of Santa Maria delle Grazia, where they were buried, was blown up in 1849. The fact is that since 1810 it housed a gunpowder warehouse, which was blown up when the Austrians entered here.

– We are grateful for these numerous valuable references and facts to the work of Raudon Labocca Brown, author of the famous study of the life of Maria Sanuto. Raudon Brown was the owner of the Dario Palace from 1838 to 1842. He bought it for four hundred and eighty pounds sterling from the Marquis of Ebdoll, an Armenian diamond merchant who represented Saxony in Venice until he unexpectedly went bankrupt.

…V last years last century, the palazzo housed a boarding house. The central chapter of his story. At that time it belonged to the Countess de la Baume Plouvignelle. She was friends with many thinkers, the French poet Henri de Regnier was her frequent guest in the early years of the 20th century, the inscription on the garden wall still reminds of him...

“It was Countess de la Baume Pluvignel who initiated the decisive restoration work, when, for example, the fountain on the third floor was rebuilt.

She, however, went a little overboard with the decorations, in a word, she overloaded the palace. By her order, large mirrors were hung, they still hang today, and majolica stoves were installed. As D'Annunzio rightly noted then, Palazzo Dario turned into “a decrepit courtesan, bent under the weight of her jewelry.” The poet lived at that time opposite, in the casetta rossa (pink house).

They tried to make a connection between the ebb and flow of the tides - as one of the mysteries of the palazzo:

– What does the curse of Palazzo Dario have to do with the flood? – Wanda did not let up. - All of Venice suffers from him.
- But not during low tide?! Palazzo Dario is the only palace in which the water remains standing even during low tide in the world famous Grand Canal. And it started almost immediately after our arrival: water suddenly rose through the sewer hole - black, smelly, and flooded the entire first floor. We thought it was a real flood and didn't understand why the siren didn't sound. And then we looked out of the window and it turned out that the water in the world famous Grand Canal had gone out with the tide. It had gone so far that even the boat would not have approached the pier.

– Maybe there’s something wrong with the drain? This happens often,” said Wanda.
Mikel even raised his voice.
– Yes, we had the head of the city hall’s department for floods, magistratto delle acque. And I couldn’t say anything! - he shouted.

The bells on the Campanile struck midnight and the moon bathed the city in silver light. Anya took a deep breath. The first line of vaporetto went towards the imposing church of Santa Maria della Salute. As they approached Palazzo Dario, soft light fell on its pale Istrian marble, illuminating it in a festive way.

Wanda's tension eased a little. She began to get her bearings again as they sailed through the Rio San Maurizio towards the world famous Grand Canal. So Primo really was taking her to Palazzo Dario. Palazzo Morosini dai Leoni, where the Guggenheim Museum was located, lay like an unfinished cake on the embankment. Near Rio de le Toresele between Palazzo Dario and the American Consulate. Primo brought the gondola to the portico of Palazzo Dario.
...And Palazzo Dario with its porta nera (black gate)!

Reska's book tells with great humor how various magic charlatans were invited to the palazzo to cleanse it of the curse. And here quite a cool theory of the origin of the curse due to the poor location of the palazzo:

– Basically everything is clear. So to speak, mathematically,” Wanda said. “Of course, neither you nor your predecessors even bothered to look at the map of the city and how Palazzo Dario is located. But once you take a look, everything will become clear to anyone who has even the slightest bit of imagination.
She went to the library and, taking out a map of Venice, laid it out on the table in front of Radomir.
“I’ll show you what the magician Alexander explained to me.” Do you see that the world famous Grand Canal is shaped like a snake or even a dragon? It divides the city into two parts. Here, above, at Margera's, is the head of a dragon. – Wanda led index finger along the world famous Grand Canal. – Here, below, we find ourselves in an area that brings misfortune, because this is the tail of the dragon, the most unlucky place, although contradictory at the same time.
– Why contradictory? – asked Radomir.
“Have patience,” said Wanda, “just listen for once.” The place where Ka Dario stands is very negative. On the one hand, the palace is located on the left bank...
...And left means negative,” Radomir finished for her.

- ABOUT! Bravo! – Wanda responded. – Look, we are making progress in the world of the unknown! On the other hand, at the end of the world famous Grand Canal is the island of San Giorgio, named after St. George, who defeated the dragon. He neutralizes negative energy.
“Sounds logical,” Radomir agreed.
“Across from us is the symbol of Venice – St. Mark’s Cathedral,” Wanda continued confidently. – And both saints, St. Mark and St. George, must drive out evil spirits and destroy the dark power of the dragon.
“But if you look closely at the palazzo, its asymmetry becomes clearly visible. Besides, there are seventeen windows in the palace, which is very bad. And the inscription: “Genio Urbis Joannes Darius.” Dedication to the city. Like a dedication to the dragon, Alexander said. The same. He also tried to find out what the twenty-three letter anagram meant. It means: Sub ruina insidosa genero (under the rubble, treason is born). This means that everyone who moves into this palace will be destroyed,” Wanda finished.

The book is an interesting read, but - Petra Reski did not give her version of the origin of the curse and left the ending open - it can be interpreted in different ways. For those who like to read books with humor, but without a logical ending, this is suitable.

I'll just add a few interesting facts to the history of Palazzo Dario.

They wanted to rebuild the palazzo. On the left is a drawing of the existing facade, on the right is a drawing of the proposed reconstruction, which never took place:

The famous French impressionist artist Claude Monet and his wife visited Venice:

The history of Palazzo Dario interested Claude Monet and views of the building were immortalized in the artist’s paintings:

And we saw this palazzo when we went straight from St. Mark’s Square in this direction.

In this article we have combined three famous and main attractions of Rome. We united them based on the principle of their proximity to each other. Or rather, not the location, but the concentration around one famous Roman square - Piazza Venice.

It is Venice Square that acts as the basis and connecting link of all other objects; they are located around it, on it. In addition, it is impossible to consider each attraction separately, since only all the objects in the group make up that unchanging and so beautiful Palazzo Venice.

But first things first. So,

Piazza Venezia in Rome

The Roman square of Venice is called Piazza Venezia and is a famous and extensive square located in the very center of the Italian capital. It is from this square that, as a rule, all sightseeing tours of Rome begin, and it is also in the forefront of the main and most memorable attractions of Rome. Piazza Venezia gives rise to the main streets of Rome.

The square is located at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, near the Roman Forum and, as well as within walking distance from the main railway station Rome - Termini. Arriving at the station and the first thing we met along the way was Venice Square.

This square is called Palazzo Venezia for a reason. It was here, back in the fifteenth century, that the Venetian cardinal Pietro Barbo (later Pope Paul II) built a palace where, after 1567, the embassy of the Venetian Republic was located. This is how the square got its name thanks to the Venice Embassy. And this is not the only case for Rome; there is one in Rome, which also got its name due to the fact that the Spanish embassy was and is located on the square.

There is nothing special about the square itself. Perhaps tourists would have bypassed it, and the lists of attractions would have put the piazzo in the last rows, if not for one thing... It is here, in the very center of the square, that there is a beautiful and somewhat unusual in its architecture monument, erected in honor of the first king of united Italy , Victor Emmanuel II.

Vittoriano (Italian name Vittoriano), this is this very monument in honor of King Emmanuel II, serving as a symbol of a united Italy.

This palace, if you can call it that, but we will call it that way here, since it looks very much like a small palace or a cake. So, it is this palace, and not the square, that catches the eye and makes an impression.

The Vittoriano project was designed by the Italian architect Giuseppe Sacconi in the style of late classicism and the spirit of ancient Roman architecture. Construction of this majestic structure began in 1885 and lasted until 1935 inclusive.

The main and central part of the monument, which is the constant decoration of Vittoriano, is a twelve-meter bronze equestrian statue of King Victor Emmanuel II. The statue of Victor rises majestically above the central staircase.

The creators of the monument did their best, maybe even overdid it. Sometimes you look at the statue and it seems that the monument is simply cluttered with details and decorations that frame the bronze equestrian statue of the king. Various statues, columns, bas-reliefs and other patterns give the monument a luxury that looks excessive. Even among the Romans themselves, there are various condescending and contemptuous names for this monument, the most famous of which are: “Typewriter”, “Wedding Cake”, “False Jaws” and others.

Although, on the other hand, it may be these details that attract the eye, making Vittoriano and the square so special.

Vittoriano's statue is also called the "Altar of the Fatherland" ( Altare della Patria). The statue got its second name due to the fact that at the foot of the equestrian statue is the tomb of the unknown soldier. An honor guard is constantly on duty at the grave.

In general, in terms of architecture, the entire palace has many decorative elements, columns and monuments, which gives it such a colorful and idle look.

In the evening, when it gets dark, Vittoriano is illuminated with soft lights, which makes the immodest pretentiousness smooth out and the palace looks even more beautiful than in the daytime.

In Vittoriano there are two museums - the Risorgimento and the banners of the navy. Admission is free and open to visitors during the day.

This is what Piazza Venice looked like in the 1930s

On the territory of Vittoriano, in addition to museums, there are observation decks and a cafeteria. From the observation deck - Terrazza delle Quadrighe, a good panorama of the surrounding areas of Rome opens up.

View of Trajan's Forum

We are at the observation deck. Just happy

At any time of the year, even if the weather is not very pleasant for visitors to the city, the central part of Rome is filled with a huge number of people. Even those who have visited Rome more than once cannot deny themselves the pleasure of visiting the most famous of the many squares in the city - Piazza Venezia. Piazza Venezia is the name of this magnificent place, where most Roman tour guides start their walking routes.

However, tourists coming to Rome often visit Piazza Venice on their own to enjoy its splendor without haste, enjoying the amazing beauty of the Venetian Palace, and admiring the main attraction of the square - the grandiose monument rising in its center.

This majestic monument was erected in honor of Vittoria Emanuele, the first king of the United Italy. Marble benches are installed along the perimeter of the square, inviting tired travelers to sit down, and parked carts await those who want to take a walk around Rome on horseback.

Where did the name of the square come from?

Piazza Venezia owes its name to the magnificent palace erected in 1455 by order of Pietro Barbo, a Venetian cardinal. He subsequently became known as Pope Paul II. The creator of the palace project was the famous architect Leon Battista Alberti in those years, and Bernardo Rossellino supervised its construction.

In 15th-century Italy, building materials cost a significant amount of money, and the country's financial situation was not in very good shape. That's why most of The palace was built from ancient Roman buildings. It even became material for the construction of the Venice Palace.

Over the years since the completion of construction, the Venice Palace has been used for various purposes and has changed a significant number of owners. Now the Palace building houses two museums. The main one is National Museum, specializing in the conservation of decorative arts. However, much larger number tourists visit the Cere Museum, where wax figures of famous personalities are housed, and the interior of an office belonging to Mussolini is recreated.

What else attracts tourists to Piazza Venice?

Each tourist pays attention to the Basilica of San Marco, also part of the palace complex. Since it was rebuilt many times, its original appearance was not preserved. Now its main decoration is an ensemble consisting of three arches and a loggia, as well as a magnificent mosaic depicting Jesus Christ and the apostles.

As already mentioned, an integral part of the square is the Vittoriano monument. Its construction, completed in 1911, took about 25 years. The entire ensemble was completed in 1935, when the composition was supplemented by a monument to the unknown soldier, called the “Altar of the Fatherland.”

Several floors of this building are occupied by a museum dedicated to the history of Italy, and in its upper part there is an observation deck with a magnificent view of the streets of Rome. After walking around Piazza Venezia, you can visit several more interesting museums.

How to get there?

Finding Piazza Venezia in Rome is easy. It is located near Terimini Station, and for those who are not too fond of walking, you can get there by bus. From the station to Piazza Venezia there are buses with numbers 175, 50, 64. If you use the metro, the final destination of the trip will be Colosseo or Cavour station. From them to Piazza Venezia is a 10-minute leisurely walk.

Palazzo Labia

Some time ago, namely in the 18th century, this stunning palace was considered the family home of the richest Labia family in the city, who invited the most talented architects of the city on the water, Alessandro Treminiona and Andrea Cominelli, to create a building project. However, soon the wealthy family, thoroughly enjoying social life and increased attention from the public, she went bankrupt and lost the palazzo, which passed into the possession of Prince Lobkovich. But a representative of the nobility quickly sold the palace to the Israeli Koenigsber Foundation. After this, the palace was used for various purposes: it was a sawmill, a textile factory, and a clothes dryer. In the 1960s, it was acquired by the Italian television and radio company RAI, which made its office in the palace.

Palazzo Dario

Selecting the most interesting and beautiful ones from the numerous palaces of Venice is a very difficult task. However, it is simply impossible not to mention Palazzo Dario. Its facade, like many other palaces, faces the Grand Canal, showing off its unusually bright marble color to everyone.

It was built in 1487 in classical Renaissance style by order of Giovanni Dario, a member of the Venetian nobility who served as Secretary of Venice. By the way, city residents call this building the “cursed palace”, due to the numerous failures and tragedies that befell the Dario family, as well as other owners and guests of the palace. The Venetians find it difficult to even count the number of inhabitants who died here due to the absurd death of the inhabitants, diligently avoiding this place.

Palazzo Dandolo

Palazzo Dandolo is widely known outside the magnificent water city, which it has graced since the 1400s. This beautiful building once belonged to the Dandolo family, hence its name. But very soon, family members decided to sell the palace to another eminent family - Gritti, thereby starting a long history of sales and purchases of this place from one hand to another. It seemed that the rich and nobles who bought the palazzo were simply not ready to pay for its maintenance, and therefore they sold it to their friends and acquaintances.

This continued until the 1630s, until the palace was acquired by people who made it the most popular gambling house in the city, introducing the rule to play in masks so as not to experience shame in front of those present with large losses.

However, after some time, the casino had to be closed at the insistence of the authorities, and its owner had to flee. Nowadays Palazzo Dandolo houses the luxurious Hotel Danieli.

Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace, Palazzo Ducale)

Palazzo Ducale, also known as, is perhaps one of the " business cards» Venice. The permanent residence of the Doge was built in 1424 by Filippo Calendario in the style of exquisite Italian Gothic. For many centuries, the Doge's Palace was the very heart and symbol of political life Republic of Venice.

However, when it fell in 1797, the purpose of this majestic building also changed. From that moment on, it served for different purposes, was the home of various administrative divisions. By the end of the 19th century, the palace gradually began to fall into decay, and the city administration allocated an impressive amount of funds for its restoration and restoration.

Almost all government services that occupied the premises here were moved to other buildings. All that remains is the State Committee for the Protection of Objects cultural heritage. In 1923, the Italian government, which owns this architectural monument, decided to open a museum inside the Doge's Palace, which still operates today.

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