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(see Doge’s Palace).

The original lapis-lazuli, vermilion and gold façade has long faded, but the breathtaking Gothic delicacy of this “golden palace” is intact, with exquisite marble tracery and arcaded loggias crafted by 15th-century stonemasons (see Ca’ d’Oro).

Set on a strategic bend of the Grand Canal, this excellent example of late Gothic architecture has a series of mullioned windows facing the water, surmounted by an Istrian stone frieze. Once home to the long-ruling Doge Francesco Foscari, today it is part of the University of Venice.

This stately Renaissance residence by architects Lombardo and Coducci was home to a string of noble families including the Cretan merchant Calergi in 1589. Another famed tenant was German composer Richard Wagner, who spent his final years here. The palace is now home to the glittering City Casino (see Casinò Municipale, Palazzo Vendramin-Calergi).

Framed multicoloured round stones (tondi ) embellish this privately owned asymmetrical palace dating from 1486. It was built for Giovanni Dario, ambassador to Constantinople, where he negotiated a peace treaty bringing long-term hostilities between Venice and the Turks to a temporary halt (see Ca’ Dario).

This glittering palace adorned with Tiepolo ceiling frescoes, majestic Murano glass chandeliers and elaborate carved period furniture, has undergone extensive renovation. It is now home to the Museum of 18th-century Venetian Life.

This eclectic delight, tucked away on a peaceful back canal of Cannaregio, was the abode of three merchant brothers from Morea on the Peloponnese from 1112. Their turbaned likenesses in stone adorn neighbouring Campo dei Mori (see Campo dei Mori). A fascinating carved menagerie of lions, birds and a prominent camel can be picked out on the Gothic façade.

A 15th-century residence, enlarged by architect Vincenzo Scamozzi for the 17th-century proprietor Contarini “of the coffers” (scrigni ), so-called for the vast wealth of his family which resided in the Veneto region. The roof-top “folly” acted as a useful observatory for astronomers.

Cole Porter, Diaghilev, Monet and Whistler are just a few of the great names who figure among the past guests of this private double palace, courtesy of the 19th-century Curtis family from Boston. Henry James wrote The Aspen Papers here and used it as the setting for The Wings of a Dove (see Henry James).

Venue of a fabulous masked ball during Carnival, when VIP guests still glide up in gondolas to the candlelit Gothic façade on the Grand Canal, as did the Tsar of Russia and Napoleon’s Josephine in days gone by. Tiepolo and Guarana contributed to the interior Baroque decorations.