The Museo dell’Opera, included in the Doge’s Palace Tickets, consists of the works of the two facades and original columns in six different rooms of the museum. These carved capitals look like epic poems in stones, and the sculptures form a blend of Doge's Palace history and legend, sacred and the profane, and astrology and astronomy. All these capitals represent allegorical figures, historical characters, animals, plants, and faces of different races. Some of the capitals of the Museo dell’Opera even present themes of the products of the earth and astrological correspondences.
The north side of the courtyard is an intersection between the Doge’s Palace and the St. Mark’s Basilica. You will discover two well-heads in the center of the courtyard dating back to the mid-16th century. The Courtyard consists of the Giants’ Staircase that was used for formal entrances, which represents the power by sea and by land. Loggias are the itinerary walks that take you from the Renaissance wing to the Gold Staircase, where you will find numerous offices of the State Government. With Doge’s Palace Tickets, you should not forget to witness the two plagues, one that has Gothic lettering from 1362, while the other plaque is a work of Alessandro Vittoria.
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The Doge’s Apartments were always situated in the wing of the Ducal Chapel. The entire apartments were destroyed by fire and were then reconstructed in the Renaissance style. These apartments showcase different rooms, wooden engraved ceilings, and monumental marble chimneys. The rooms in these apartments were used for the private line of the Doge until the 17th century. But today, it is used for temporary exhibitions of Doge’s Palace artworks in the palace.
The Institutional Chambers at the Doge’s Palace commences in the Square Atrium. These chambers consisted of the political and judicial administrative organs that were the main cause of Europe’s jealousy for centuries. With your Doge’s Palace Tickets, you will cross the fundamental organs of the government, namely the Senate, the Collegio, and the Great Council.
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The Bridge of Sighs in the Doge’s Palace are the corridors that were constructed to link the Doge's Palace prisons to the palace. These corridors were named after the sighs of the prisoners that passed from the courtroom to the cells where they would be served their sentence. During the 16th century, New Prisons were built that housed the chambers of the magistrates and prisons known as the Notte al Criminal. These new prisons were constructed with more light and air-filled cells with the intention to enhance the conditions of the prisoners. However, the prisons failed to fulfill the aim. Thus, each cell was bordered with overlaying larch planks.
The rooms of the Armoury in Doge’s Palace are filled with precious historical collections of ornaments, weapons, and Doge Palace’s artworks from different sources. After the fall of the Venetian Republic, the arms collections were dispersed halfway, consisting of several valuable pieces, but 2000 exhibits still remained in the rooms of the Armoury. The remaining exhibits included renowned instances of armor suits of the 15th and 16th centuries, with crossboards, halberds, swords, and quivers. You will find monogram CX for “Council of Ten” inscribed in these exhibits. The other collections of the armory include ships’ lanterns, weapons, standards, torture implements, chastity belts, firearms, and tiny but lethal weapons.
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Checkout & Book: Doge's Palace & Saint Mark's Basilica Combo
By Vaporetti (Water bus): - From Lido di Venezia- To reach Doge’s Palace, you can either take Line 1, Vallaresso or San Zaccaria stop or Line 5.2 San Zaccaria stop. Each of these lines will take you to your ideal destination.
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