Italian Adriatic Coast

The three-winged Doge's Palace, built in its present form from the 14th to early 17th Century, was once... the centre of power in the Venetian republic and the duke's residence. The Porta della Carta, where petitioners presented their requests to members of the Great Council, is edged with allegorical figures and ornamentation. It is considered a masterpiece of Venetian Gothic architecture. The Scala dei Giganti derives its name from the larger-than-life figures of Neptune and Mars who symbolise Venice's former power at sea and on land. The dukes of Venice were traditionally crowned on the top step. The rooms - some of which may be closed for renovation or special exhibits - are fascinating for their splendour and luxurious decorative detail, including frescoes and paintings by Veronese, Tintoretto and Titian. more

Not far from Ancona, Loreto is located on a mountain upcountry at the Adriatic. Parts of the city walls... from the 16th century are still preserved. Famous as a pilgrimage city since 1503, it attracts the adorers of the Virgin Mary with its Black Madonna. Consequently, the partner cities of Loreto are called Fátina, Lourdes, Tschenstochau, Mariazell and Altötting. Santa Casa is the alleged birth house of Mary. According to the legend, it was angels who brought the house to this place. An impressive basilica adorned with frescos embraces the holy house. There is a chapel for almost each nation within the walls of the pilgrimage church, each designed by an artist of the respective country. Built in different styles between 1468 and 1587, the church's overall appearance is nevertheless harmonious. Although the Palazzo Apostolico with its arcades is overshadowed by the basilica, it harbors considerable treasures of art - among them works of the painter Lorenzo Lotto as well as ceramic vessels that had been used in the pharmacies of the 16th century. more

The filigree façade of the Ca’ d’Oro at one of the best-known palazzi at Canal Grande, represents... Venetian ornamented Gothic art at its best. Baron Giorgio Franchetti left the palace together with its great art to the state of Italy in 1916. Besides paintings of the Venetian school of the 15th-17th centuries, the richly adorned and often originally preserved rooms of the palace also show statues, medals, ceramics and bronze works of the Renaissance era. Among the outstanding masterpieces are “St. Sebastian” by Mantegna as well as paintings by the Venetians Antonio Vivarini, Vittore Carpaccio, Tizian, Tintoretto and of the Flemish school, “Venetian Vedute” by Francesco Guardi. Tullio Lombardo’s enchanting “Young Couple” is one of the most important sculpture works at the turn of the 16th century. The partly preserved picture cycles at the outside walls of some Venetian palazzi, such as the Titian at the Fondaco dei Tedeschi (1508), are indeed remarkable. more