Ca' Foscari & Palazzo Giustiniani

...the noblest example in Venice of the fifteenth century Gothic.John Ruskin

Set on the largest bend of the Grand Canal, Ca’ Foscari was built by Bartolomeo Bon for the controversially ambitious Doge Francesco Foscari in 1437, the same who had himself proudly portrayed on the Porta della Carta, the main entrance to the Palazzo Ducale.

One of the last great Gothic palaces built in Venice, Ca' Foscari is the same florid style as the Palazzo Ducale, and it has the largest private courtyard in Venice. It wasn't enough to cheer up the Doge; not long after having been dismissed from office, he retired here and died of a broken heart.