About This Location
Now the route pauses at one of the oldest palaces facing the Grand Canal. Ca' Farsetti stands in the San Marco district, close to the Rialto area. Together with the neighboring Ca' Loredan, it forms part of Venice’s municipal buildings, still used for public offices today. The palace began in the 1200s, linked to the powerful Dandolo family. Local tradition sometimes connects it to Doge Enrico Dandolo, the leader associated with the Fourth Crusade, although the details are not fully certain. Over the centuries, the building changed as Venice changed. A major fire in 1524 badly damaged it. Earlier, in the 1400s, Federigo Contarini had bought the palace and added extra floors, giving it more of the tall profile seen along the canal today. Around 1670 it passed to the Farsetti family, whose name it still carries. In the 1700s, the Farsetti family used the palace as a cultural center, including an academy connected to art and learning. Later, in the early 1800s, it was converted into a hotel. In the 1900s it became municipal property, returning to public use in a new way. Look at the facade from the canal side. The lower levels keep a Venetian-Byzantine feel, with a long portico and a rhythm of arches. Above, the main floor is marked by a wide band of arcades, and the upper levels show later Renaissance touches. This mix of styles is a reminder that Venice did not rebuild in one single moment - it kept adapting what already stood. To continue, turn left into the narrow lane called Ramo de la Salizzada.