Palaces of Venice presents sixty-two of the greatest buildings from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century. Hundreds of full-color photographs show the exteriors and the interiors of the palazzi and the text relates the fascinating history of each architectural masterpiece, leading family and chosen architect. From the twelfth and thirteenth centuries onward, the Venetian Gothic style, much-extolled by John Ruskin in his book The Stones of Venice, started to develop. The main features of this style were pointed arches, mullioned windows with several lights, and the interplay of colored marble. In the thirteenth century, the first monumental private buildings were designed, and the traditional plans of the Venetian Palace began.
In the centuries that followed, the architects Mauro Codussi and Jacopo Sansovino reinterpreted these typical features of Venice's Gothic palaces in a renaissance key, Baldassare Longhena introduced the Baroque taste, and Giannantonio Selva continued to use these Gothic features but adapted them to the neo-classical style.
The large number of palaces is a direct result of the burgeoning nobility and the far-reaching branches of the various families. Down the centuries, the various lines of the Contarini family, for example, built more than twenty-five palaces. Nowadays, few palaces still belong to the descendants of those age-old proprietors. Most of the patrician families have died out or moved elsewhere, and every few of the surviving familes have preserved the heritage of a bygone era. Many palaces have been turned into hotels, some house public and private offices, and others have been divided up into apartments. For all this, Venice has lost none of its charm, and the rooms of some palaces still reverberate today with balls and parties organized in honor of some famous guest who had come from afar to enjoy the magical atmosphere of this city.
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