5/5 Asiyah Noemi K. 4 months ago on Google • 404 reviews
Venezia
always
amazes
with
its
hidden
gems.
That
is
how
Palazzo
Contarini
del
Bovolo
with
its
wonderful
spiral
staircase
enchants
every
visitor.
This
palazzo
has
been
visitable
since
February
2016,
and
painting
exhibitions
and
chamber
music
concerts
are
often
held
here.
This
small
palazzo
is
best
known
for
its
external
multi-arch
spiral
staircase
known
as
the
Scala
Contarini
del
Bovolo.
The
Venetian
word
“bovolo”
means
snail
and
refers
to
the
shape
of
a
spiral
snail
shell
(Scala
del
Bovolo).
The
staircase
leads
to
an
arcade,
providing
an
impressive
view
of
the
city
roof-tops.
The
palazzo
is
located
in
a
small,
less-travelled
calle
(street)
near
Campo
Manin,
about
halfway
between
Campo
San
Bartolo,
at
the
foot
of
the
Rialto,
and
Campo
Santo
Stefano.
The
palazzo
was
designed
and
built
in
its
current
form
in
the
15th
century
by
the
architect
Giovanni
Candi
as
one
of
the
city
residences
of
the
Contarini
family.
Giorgio
Spavento
is
believed
to
have
been
responsible
for
the
addition
of
the
grand
spiral
staircase
on
the
exterior
in
1499.
The
beautiful
spiral
staircase
has
eighty
steps
and
is
28
meters
high.
It
spans
six
floors
and
is
made
of
red
bricks
and
white
stone
(arches,
columns
and
balustrade).
In
the
19th
century,
Domenico
Emery
became
the
owner
of
the
property
and
then
the
palace
was
transformed
into
an
accommodation
for
guests.
One
of
these
guests
was
the
German
astronomer
Wilhelm
Tempel.
He
discovered
important
celestial
bodies
by
making
observations
with
his
telescope
from
the
top
floor
of
the
tower.
This
has
given
more
fame
to
the
palace
with
the
spiral
staircase.
Because
of
its
beauty
and
attractiveness,
the
Palazzo
del
Bovolo
was
chosen
by
Orson
Welles
as
one
of
the
main
locations
(Brabantio's
house)
for
his
1952
adaptation
of
Shakespeare's
Othello,
and
the
staircase
is
prominently
featured
in
the
film.
The
entrance
price
is
correct,
so
we
are
in
the
magically
beautiful
Venice.
2 people found this review helpful 👍
