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Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo
A late Gothic palace in the sestiere of San Marco, near Campo Manin, with a sober façade on the Rio di San Luca. It was built by the Contarini family between the 14th and 15th centuries. In the rear courtyard, the Corte del Maltese, it is dominated by a cylindrical tower with an external spiral staircase, the "bovolo" (snail in Venetian), which gave the family its nickname. It is attributed to Giovanni Candi or, for some scholars, to Giorgio Spavento. The staircase links loggias on five levels and ends in a domed belvedere with wide views of the city. In 1499 three Contarini senators added a Renaissance wing with loggias facing the courtyard. In the 19th century it housed the Hotel del Maltese, and in 1859 the lithographer Wilhelm Tempel discovered comet C/1859 G1 from the tower. The courtyard holds a collection of wellheads.
Add it to your trip on Wanloria →Things to do at Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo: 4 missions
- Climb to the loggias and the domed belvedereIf the staircase is open, climb through the loggias to the domed belvedere and look out over the city's rooftops.
- Compare the river façade with the courtyard oneLook at the sober façade facing the Rio di San Luca and then at the courtyard one, dominated by the tower.
- Look at the spiral staircase tower from the courtyardEnter the courtyard and look at the cylindrical tower with its external staircase and its loggias on five levels.
- Find the wellheads in the courtyardWalk around the courtyard and find the wellheads (vere da pozzo) that make up a collection.
Near Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo
Frequently asked questions
How much time do you need for Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo?
Allow about 30 min for the visit.