Did You Know?

Did you know that Venice is home to the world's oldest operating casino? The Casino di Venezia, located in the Palazzo Vendramin-Calergi, opened in 1638 and continues to welcome visitors to try their luck at various games of chance in a historic setting.

Venice, Italy is built on more than 100 small islands and has over 400 bridges connecting them all together. The city has no roads, only canals and footpaths.

Did you know that Venice is known as the "Floating City" or "City of Water"? This nickname is due to the absence of roads and cars within the historic center of Venice. Instead, transportation is primarily conducted by boats and water taxis, making it a truly distinctive and charming city to explore.

Did you know that Venice has over 400 footbridges? These bridges play a crucial role in connecting different parts of the city, spanning the canals and allowing pedestrians to move around. The most famous and iconic bridge in Venice is the Rialto Bridge, which dates back to the late 16th century.

Did you know that Venice experiences an annual phenomenon called "Acqua Alta"? During certain times of the year, particularly in winter, high tides cause flooding in some parts of the city. Wooden walkways, known as "pontoon" bridges, are temporarily set up to allow pedestrians to navigate through the flooded areas.

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Welcome To The Golden House: A Guide To Ca' D'Oro

This former noble Venetian residence, a palace, truly spoken, has an innate sadness to it. Its long history from 1442 began in glory and suffered some epic lows, but has come back into its own as a museum and gallery right on the Grand Canal in Venice; it is one of the most photographed buildings in the city, most of those shots taken from watercraft on the canal.

In its early years, this grand residence, with its elaborate gilded (hence the “d’Oro” phrase, meaning “of gold”) exterior, gleamed its golden reflection into the Grand Canal, but a second wing was never added, giving it an asymmetrical appearance. That imbalance does not lessen its beauty at all, but the fading of its gilded details has compromised the “gold” aspect of its title.

The full name of the building is the Ca’D’Oro Franchetti Gallery, which it takes from the baron, Giorgio Franchetti, who purchased the Patrician palace in 1894 to house him and his vast art collection. He donated it to the Italian state in 1916, after which it became a singular art museum with more works added.

This gallery should not be confused with the hotel of the same name, but that would be a convenient place to stay in Venice proper, just 5 minutes from Rialto.