- Palazzo Foscari
The Palazzo Foscari (known in Venice as Ca' Foscari) is a
palace inVenice ,Italy . It was built on the waterfront of the city's Grand Canal circa 1452 by the DogeFrancesco Foscari , who required its design to demonstrate his wealth and power. It was also built and designed to be a lasting family legacy. Ca' Foscari stands on a bend in the Grand Canal known as the 'Volta'; it is one of a trio of architecturally distinguished palazzi there, the other two beingCa' Balbi , built in 1590, andCa' Giustinian built circa 1452.Today, while Ca' Foscari has lost - through that decay which adds to the charm of modern Venice - much of its original splendour, its architectural merits are still a fine example of the florid Byzantine-inspired
gothic architecture that distinguishes so many of the palazzi lining the Grand Canal built during theRenaissance period.The
piano nobile , the main reception floor, is distinguished on thefacade by a large eight-archloggia , that is doubled in the "second" piano nobile immediately above it. Thetracery ornamentation of the columns and arches of the loggias are executed in the samequatrefoil gothic style as the loggias of both theDoge's Palace andCa d'Oro . Each of the loggias is flanked by twoogee topped windows ornamented with the same design of tracery. This gives the palazzo a symmetry not common to all other palazzi of this period on the Grand Canal.The building has had a troubled history: during the 19th century
Austrian Empire occupation, it was used as a barracks. From this time the building has suffered successive neglect: nothing today remains of the opulent plaster andstucco work that once covered the exterior. Nor does anything remain of the ornate exterior staircases which once gave access to the piano nobile from thecourtyard .The palazzo, main seat of the
University of Venice , underwent a restoration from 1997 to 2005.
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