Palazzo dei Camerlenghi (Camerlenghi Palace), Venice

Palazzo dei Camerlenghi (Camerlenghi Palace), Venice

The Camerlenghi Palace, located at the base of the Rialto Bridge, is a grand edifice that was completed in 1488 and later expanded in the 1520s. It served as the headquarters for several financial officials, including the Camerlenghi (from whom it takes its name), Consuls of the Traders, and Supra-Consuls of the Traders. The lower floor of the palace functioned as a jail for debtors who had defaulted on their obligations, strategically positioned near the bustling Rialto Bridge as a deterrent for onlookers, hence earning the name Fondamenta delle Prigioni ("Foundation of the Prisons") for the adjacent canalside area.

Due to a Venetian tradition where departing magistrates left religiously themed paintings and portraits in their former offices, the palace became home to a wealth of artworks. Some of these paintings conveyed civic virtues and social-political ideals; however, many were removed during the French occupation, and while some eventually returned to Venice, they found their place primarily in the Gallery of the Academy ("Gallerie dell'Accademia").

Today, the Camerlenghi Palace houses the regional main offices of the Italian Comptroller and Auditor General. The three-story palace gracefully follows the curve of the Grand Canal, featuring tall windows adorned with decorative friezes and false columns, although the once-present polychrome marble and porphyry slabs have been lost to time.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Venice. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Palazzo dei Camerlenghi (Camerlenghi Palace) on Map

Sight Name: Palazzo dei Camerlenghi (Camerlenghi Palace)
Sight Location: Venice, Italy (See walking tours in Venice)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark

Walking Tours in Venice, Italy

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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip


15 Distinctively Italian Things to Buy in Venice

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Venice has been a tourist mecca for over a century now, with millions of visitors flocking in every year to see this unique place on the face of the Earth. Many, if not all, of these people seek to obtain something memorable as a token of their stay in this city. By far, not all of them know which...