Veneto Institute of Sciences, Letters and Arts – Palazzo Franchetti

DESCRIZIONE:
The history of Palazzo Cavalli, now Franchetti, is rooted in the 1500s and for three centuries different owners lived together. In the 1840s archduke Fredrick of Austria reunited the properties and started a complex refurbishing project of the interiors. The transformations continued with the transfer to count of Chambord, who appointed architect Giambattista Meduna to make a massive renovation and unification work. In 1878 the Palace was bought by Raimondo Franchetti and in this period architect Camillo Boito built the imposing internal staircase with precious marbles and almost-liberty reliefs and gave the facades their typical Gothic appearance. In the XX century the Palace became the seat of the Federal Credit Institute for the Revival of Venice first and then (1999) of the Veneto Institute of Sciences, Letters and Arts, which performs most public activities.