Palazzo Venier dei Leoni

Palazzo Venier dei Leoni (Italian: Palazzo Venier dei Leoni) is an unfinished palace in Venice, Italy, located in the Dorsoduro district on the Grand Canal, near the Santa Maria della Salute basilica. The palazzo houses the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

The palazzo was designed in 1749 by architect Lorenzo Boschetti (author of the facade of the church San Barnaba) for the Venier family. The project envisioned a building that would combine the styles of Palladio and Longhena, two architects who left a significant legacy in Venice. However, the ambitious project remained unfinished: the Venier family's financial problems led to the construction of only part of the first floor of the palazzo.

In the Correr Museum, one can see a wooden model of what the completed palazzo would have looked like. There are two theories regarding the building's incompleteness: according to one, the influential Corner family, who owned the eponymous palazzo located opposite, on the other side of the canal, feared that their palazzo would be overshadowed and ensured that the building was not completed; according to another theory, the Venier family heirs, fulfilling their late father's will, which mandated the construction of a new palazzo but lacking the funds to complete it, started the construction as the will required but left it unfinished.

In 1910, Luisa Casati moved into the palazzo but was forced to sell it in 1924 due to financial problems.

In 1948, Peggy Guggenheim purchased the palazzo, which became not only her Venetian home but also the venue for her small but valuable collection of modern art.

The reason for the presence of the word "leoni" (lions) in the palazzo's name is unknown, but it is likely related to the sculptural elements depicting lions along the base of the facade. Another theory suggests that the Veniers kept a lion in the garden.

The building is a single-story, unfinished structure with a rusticated facade made of Istrian stone. The facade, facing the Grand Canal, features eight monoforas under which are mascarons in the form of lion heads. At the center of the facade is an entrance, consisting of a niche with a gate leading to a broad terrace that offers a view of the Grand Canal from the Academy Bridge to Piazza San Marco.

Text adapted from “Palazzo Venier dei Leoni” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Palazzo Venier dei Leoni ranks #2,443 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #194 of the 487 mapped in Italy. Founded c. 1750, it is older than 17% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 556 atlas entries founded in the 18th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,486 times in the last 60 days, more than 72% of the atlas. 42 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Venice, 1 km away. See how Italy compares in the castle statistics.

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