Palazzo Mastelli del Cammello, Gothic palace in Cannaregio, Italy
Palazzo Mastelli del Cammello sits along the Rio Madonna dell'Orto canal with gray stucco walls and Gothic architectural details spread across three levels. The building features a hexagonal window with balconies on the second floor, supported by carved corbels and decorated with delicate stone ornaments.
Three merchant brothers from the Peloponnese - Rioba, Sandi, and Afani - founded this palace in 1112 after settling in Venice and adopting the Mastelli surname. The building marked their rise as a prominent trading family in the city.
The facade displays four stone statues of Moors and a camel bas-relief that tell the story of the family's trade connections across the eastern Mediterranean. These figures were meant to show the wealth and worldliness of a merchant family who dealt with distant lands.
The building has a water portal at ground level that once served as a boat landing, along with a small fountain for arriving travelers. Best viewed during the day from the canal side to see the facade and its decorative details clearly.
The palace gets its name from the camel bas-relief on the facade, a rare motif in Venice that reflects the family's exotic trade routes. This unusual symbol is absent from most other Venetian palaces, making this one distinctly recognizable.
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