Ca' Loredan, Administrative building in San Marco, Venice, Italy.
Ca' Loredan is a four-story palace on the Grand Canal near Rialto Bridge, featuring a central portico with five raised Corinthian arches. The building shares administrative functions with the neighboring Ca' Farsetti through elevated walkways.
The palace was built in 1300 as a Venetian-Byzantine warehouse for the Boccasi family. It changed hands over centuries until the city of Venice acquired it in 1867.
The rooms display works by Venetian Renaissance artists that shaped the city's artistic heritage. Visitors can observe how patrons influenced the decoration of public buildings in this way.
The building now serves as city hall and can be viewed from outside, with the best view from a water taxi or the opposite bank of the Grand Canal. The facade with its arches is most visible in the afternoon when light brings out the details.
Elena Lucrezia Cornaro was born in this palace in 1646 and became the first woman to earn a university degree in 1678. Her birth in this important administrative building connected her to the city's power while she pursued learning elsewhere.
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