Description of the attraction
Palazzi Barbaro, also known as Palazzo Barbaro, Ca 'Barbaro and Palazzo Barbaro Curtis, are adjacent palaces located in the Venetian quarter of San Marco and once owned by the noble Barbaro family. The palaces stand on the Grand Canal embankment next to Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti and near the Accademia Bridge and are considered some of the least modified Gothic palaces in Venice.
The first of the two palaces was built in 1425 in the Venetian Gothic style according to the project of Giovanni Bona, one of the main city masons. At the beginning of the 15th century, it belonged to Piero Spierre, then changed hands several times, until in 1465 it was bought by Zacaria Barbaro, the procurator of San Marco.
The second Palazzo is in the Baroque style - it was designed in 1694 by Antonio Gaspari, one of the prominent architects of the 17th century. The building once had two floors and belonged to the Taglapietra family, which ceded to the Barbaro family in the 16th century. In 1694-98, Gaspari somewhat modified the palace, adding to it a ballroom with luxurious baroque stucco moldings and paintings depicting scenes from the history of Ancient Rome. In the 18th century, an elegant library was created on the 3rd floor of the Palazzo, the vaults of which were adorned with rich stucco moldings. In the very center one could see one of Tiepolo's masterpieces - the painting "The Glorification of the Barbaro Family", now kept in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Other frescoes by Tiepolo were also removed from the palace.
Despite the fact that the Palazzo was owned by the Barbaro family, members of this family did not always live in it. In 1499, it housed the French Embassy in the Venetian Republic, and in 1524, Isabella d'Este, the widow of Francesco Gonzaga, lived here. After the Barbaro family ceased to exist in the middle of the 19th century, the Palazzi were bought out and actually plundered - the furniture and paintings were sold at auctions.
In 1885, Palazzi Barbaro was acquired by the American Daniel Curtis, who, together with his wife, initiated a large-scale restoration of buildings. Since then, many renowned artists, musicians and writers have stayed at the palace - Claude Monet, Henry James, Charles Eliot Norton, Robert Browning and others.
