Palazzo Balbi, Venice

Palazzo Balbi seen from Ca' Rezzonico.

Palazzo Balbi is a palace on the Canal Grande, Venice, northern Italy. It is included in the sestiere (quarter) of Dorsoduro, to the right of Ca' Foscari. Currently it is the seat of the President of the Veneto region and of the regional council.

It was built from 1582, under design by Alessandro Vittoria as the residence of the Venetian patrician family of the Balbi. In the 19th century it was acquired by Michelangelo Guggenheim and later by the Adriatic Electric Society. It became a property of the Veneto region in 1971.

Description

The palace has two floors, with a mezzanine and entresol, and a symmetrical façade.

The lower floor has a large portal in the center featuring a mascaron and tympanum; there are two minor entrances at the sides. The two upper floors are divided intro three sectors by false columns and separated horizontally by a wide frame. In the center are three triple mullioned windows featuring couples of Doric columns and parapets. Between the windows at the first floor are coat of arms of the Balbi family.

Under the notched cornice are small oval windows, placed within an elaborated stone frame. On the top are two obelisk-shaped pinnacles, similar to those in the Palazzo Belloni Battagia.

The interior houses 18th-century frescoes by Jacopo Guarana.

Sources

• Brusegan, Marcello (2005). La grande guida dei monumenti di Venezia. Rome: Newton & Compton. ISBN 88-541-0475-2. 

Coordinates: 45°26′06″N 12°19′37″E / 45.435022°N 12.327051°E / 45.435022; 12.327051