If It's A Secret, How Come Other People Know About It?

After having breakfast at the same bakery/coffee place we did the first morning (it’s good, and was literally 20 yards from our apartment, it was time to head over to the Doge’s Palace, and do the “Secret Itinerary of the Doges” at the Doge’s Palace.

If you’ve never been to the Doge’s Palace, skip the Secret Itinerary tour and just do the main Palace tour.  A lot of the “Secret” Tour dealt with cells for prisoners, a torture room, and other modest rooms of marginal interest.  To be fair, we did see some interesting rooms (I remember the most interest one, but don’t recall the name of it).

The good news is that after the 75 minute tour is over, you get to roam the rest of the palace, which is pretty stunning rooms in the palace, as well as cross the Bridge of Sighs twice on your way to and from seeing yet more prison cells.

The Doge was the ruling duke of the Venetian Republic (more than just Venice).  It’s been “the most powerful half-acre in Europe for 400 years.”  It starts with a beautiful courtyard, includes the Senate Hall, featuring works by Tintoretto, as well as the Hall of the Grand Council, which could hold, at capacity, 2,600 people.

The Palace was built in 1340 in the Venetian Gothic style (so in 1995 I said, "Honey, we should build our house in Venetian Gothic style."  Carol: "No."  And so our house is NOT Venetian Gothic.  But the Palace of the Doges is).

The precursor to the Palace was built in the 1100s.  The precursor to the precursor was built in 810.

The Wikipedia entry notes that "in 1483 a violent fire broke out in the side of the palace."  That begs the question -- are there non-violent fires?  

After 1172, the Doge of Venice was elected by the committee of forty, who were chosen by four men from the Great Council of Venice.  The Great Council was, itself, nominated annually by twelve men.  Given all the committees, it's a wonder anything got done.  Given all the men, it's amazing there were any left to actually govern.  The position of Doge was ended in 1797 when Napoleon ended the Venetian Republic.  

It's a little known fact that for a period after the end of the Republic, the inability of leaders to know what was going on in Venice was called "the Venetian Blind."  

(Editor: It sure took long enough for you to set up that joke!  Writer: Thank you!)

Anyhow, there's a lot to see at the Palace. 

The Golden Staircase.

A cool 24 hour clock.

I could have included a lot more

photos, but you get the picture.