About the Museum

The Ca' d'Oro, or Palazzo Santa Sofia, is a palace on the Grand Canal in Venice, northern Italy. Ca' d'Oro or Cadoro translates to "House of Gold" or "Golden House" in English because of the gilt and polychrome external decorations that once adorned its walls. It was designed by Marino Contarini and later restored by Baron Giorgio Franchetti. In 1927, the building was converted into a museum and since then has been known as the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca' d'Oro. The Ca' d'Oro has long been regarded as the best-surviving palazzo in Venetian Gothic architecture, retaining all the most characteristic features, despite some losses. On the facade, the loggia-like window group of closely spaced small columns, with heavy tracery and quatrefoil openings above, use the formula from the Doge's Palace that had become iconic. There is also Byzantine-inspired decoration along the roofline and patterning in fancy colored stone to the flat wall surfaces. The smaller windows show a variety of forms with an ogee arch capped with a relief ornament.