Doge's Palace

The political heart of the Venetian Republic for centuries — now a museum with a stunning Gothic facade, Tintoretto's Paradise, and the Bridge of Sighs connecting it to the old prison.

The Doge's Palace on St. Mark's Square was the political center of the Venetian Republic for centuries. First built in 810 and reconstructed in its current Venetian Gothic form in 1340, the palace housed the Doge's residence, government chambers, law courts, and a prison — connected to the separate jail building by the famous Bridge of Sighs. The delicate pink-and-white facades of Veronese and Istrian stone belie the building's massive scale. Inside, the Great Council Chamber contains Tintoretto's Paradise, one of the largest oil paintings in the world. Declared an Italian national monument, the palace became a museum in 1923.