The Ca' d'Oro is the finest surviving example of Venetian Gothic domestic architecture, built in the 1430s for the patrician Contarini family. The facade on the Grand Canal — asymmetrical, with its delicate open loggia, carved stonework, and tracery — was originally gilded and painted in blue and vermillion. Even stripped of its colour, it is the most photographed palace on the canal.
Inside, the Galleria Franchetti houses a good collection of paintings, bronzes, and tapestries, with a fine Mantegna St Sebastian as the centrepiece. But the building itself is the real attraction: the central courtyard with its original wellhead and staircase gives the best sense of how a Venetian Gothic palace was meant to feel. The terrace on the first floor has a direct view up the Grand Canal. Entrance is modest and queues are usually short.