The golden Gothic palace of the Grand Canal, now the Galleria Franchetti with Mantegna, Titian and a sweeping loggia view.
Last updated August 14, 2026
In a nutshell: the Ca' d'Oro is the Grand Canal's golden palace - a Venetian Gothic facade once covered in gold leaf, now the Galleria Franchetti with Mantegna's St Sebastian, Titian's Venus at the Mirror and Guardi's views. Back to the Cannaregio overview or on to the Ghetto.
The Ca' d'Oro takes its name from the fact that its facade was originally covered with precious gold-leaf decorations, and it remains a marvellous example of Venetian Gothic at its most scenographic - flavoured with Byzantine and Islamic flourishes - one of the most striking palaces on the Grand Canal. The palace was commissioned in 1420 by the procurator Marino Contarini and finished in 1440, after which it was divided among his heirs; from that moment it passed through different hands, suffering internal transformations that brought it to a state of serious decay until, at the beginning of the 19th century, it fell into semi-abandonment, prey to vandalism and robbery. In 1895 Baron Franchetti, a Turinese musician and collector, bought it and began its restoration, installing his collections of paintings, sculptures and coins; in 1916 he donated the building and everything in it to the State, which is why today it can be visited as the seat of the Galleria Franchetti.
Beyond the Franchetti collection itself - which gathers paintings, above all Tuscan and from central Italy - the gallery holds important works of art: the splendid St Sebastian by Mantegna, the Venus at the Mirror by Titian, views of Venice by Guardi, sketches by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and frescoes by Pordenone, plus Renaissance names such as Ghirlandaio and Signorelli. There are also sculptures from churches suppressed after the fall of the Republic of Venice, bronzes and medals from an ancient Paduan collection, paintings and frescoes of state provenance, and a collection of Flemish painting in which The Crucifixion by H. Van Eyck stands out. More recent is the acquisition of many thousands of ceramics of lagoon origin dating back to the 12th century. The numismatic and medal collections, mostly in storage, can be seen by scholars and specialists. Even though the gallery holds no supreme masterpieces - the true masterpieces of the artists mentioned are found elsewhere in the city - it is well worth visiting, because it offers the chance to understand how a Grand Canal palace works: the ground floor served as a warehouse, while the owner and his family lived and did business on the upper floors. Don't miss the lush courtyard and the sweeping panorama of the Grand Canal visible from the upper loggia.
The museum costs €6, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–19:00, closed Monday; the audioguide is €4 (vaporetto stop: Ca' d'Oro, +39 041 520 0345, www.cadoro.org). Like the other state museums it opens its doors without charge on the first Sunday in every month - but those free days attract big crowds, so it is best to avoid them.