Piazzetta San Marco, Venice

Taken from the Piazzetta San Marco, this view looks past the lion column along the Molo to the Riva degli Schiavoni. Around a stazio at the base of the column of San Todaro, gondoliers wait for passengers. Dominating the scene is the long wall of the Doge's Palace, a building that served as the private residence of the Doges, the seat of government, and the palace of justice for the Venetian Republic. In the 9th century, the palace of the Doges was moved from a spot in the centre of the city to its present location near the water, adjacent to the Basilica of San Marco. The original building was probably a fortified castle. The palace was built, destroyed, and rebuilt repeatedly over the years; and finally completed in its present form in 1424. The elaborate balcony (1400-04) in the centre of the wall overlooking the Molo is the work of Pier Paolo and Jacobello dalle Masegne.