La Salle du Grand Conseil au
Palazzo Ducale I The Council
Chamber in the Palazzo
Ducale I
قاعة املجلس الكبري يف قرص
I دوجي مقر إقامة دوق البندقية
land in a magnificent location; its trapezoidal form
offered the added advantage of providing a long
façade on the canal. It is believed that work began in
1740 or 1748, possibly completed by 1758 or, more
probably, 1772. This was the last palazzo to be built
in Venice before the fall of the Republic.
A long series of different owners took over until its
restoration in 1986 by Milanese architect Gae
Aulenti. Directed by Pontus Hulten, it reopened its
doors with a major retrospective devoted to
Futurism. Following the death of Gianni Agnelli, FIAT
chose to terminate its involvement. In May 2005
François Pinault decided to take over Palazzo Grassi
to house his collection of contemporary art. The
restoration of the place was
PUNTA DEL DOGANA
The triangular-shaped Punta della Dogana is located
at the end of Dorsoduro neighbourhood and
separates the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal.
In June 2009, this building that is the very symbol of
the city of Venice, dating from the 17th century,
reopened its doors to the public, becoming – along
with Palazzo Grassi – one of the venues of the
François
Pinault
Foundation’s
Centre
for
Contemporary Art. The latter supported the
transition of this masterpiece of architecture, so
emblematic of the city, from its eminently
commercial function to port of contemporary art
and ideal venue to share it with the world.
LA GIUDECCA
La Gazelle 60 I
140
The Giudecca Island is part of the sestiere of Dorsoduro,
from which it is separated by a 300-meter wide canal.
It is the collection of eight small islands joined by
canals and bridges. It was known in ancient times as
the Spinalunga or Long Thorn due to its shape.
Its name might be derived from the fact that the island
has been, from the 10th century and on, primarily
inhabited by Jewish populations, before they were
confined in the Ghetto district, in the Cannaregio.
According to other sources, however, the island’s
name would be derived from the world “zudega“
meaning “judgement“ in Venetian dialect. The
Zudega island, or Giudecca, might have been the
refuge of noble families opposing the ruling power,
banned from Venice.
The Giudecca has the characteristics of a faubourg
where gardens and factories coexist ; another
Venice, calm and provincial.
The city enjoys a quiet atmosphere and its two
beautiful Palladian churches whose façades face the
Zattere, on the edge of the Dorsoduro, are worth a
visit. It is a place of leisure, appreciated by Venetians
who want to stay alone in their villas and gardens.
During the 19th century, factories and workshops
settled there, followed by populations of workers,
creating relatively poor and small neighbourhoods.
THE LIDO
Venice’s outside ramparts are composed of lidos (in
Italian lidi) that created the lagoon.
The lidos are thin islands stretching for about 11 km and
whose fragile barrier is the only sea defence. In ancient
texts about the city administration, appears the phrase
“nation’s sacred area“, which shows the importance of
this unreliable natural barrier in Venice’s future. They
used to be hunting and market garden lands, where the
Doges’ falcons were trained, where people practiced
crossbow shooting, where soldiers (up to 30 000) were
stationed while ships and equipments were prepared.
For eight centuries the Doges of Venice celebrated
the city’s symbolic wedding with the sea