Palazzo Mastelli del Cammello, Gothic palace in Cannaregio, Italy

Palazzo Mastelli del Cammello is a three-level Gothic palace on the Rio Madonna dell'Orto, its facade covered in gray stucco. The ground floor has a water portal flanked by lancet and arched windows, with a small Arabian-style fountain at the bottom right. The first noble floor has a trifora with paired side windows and a bas-relief of a turbaned man pulling a laden camel; the second has a Gothic hexafora on corbels, its left balcony wrapping the corner. Istrian stone frames the windows, balconies and the camel relief.

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 four statues of the three Moors and their servant stand on the Campo dei Mori, not on the palace facade; tradition links them to the Mastelli brothers Rioba, Sandi and Afani. On the palace itself, a bas-relief shows a turbaned man pulling a laden camel, the image that gave the building its name del cammello.

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.