The History
In the library of Foscarini Giovanelli Palace, nearly a thousand volumes collected by Marco Foscarini have been conserved for decades. Today, more than 500 of those historic manuscripts can be seen at the prestigious Imperial Library of Vienna.
The books were a pledge for payment of taxes in arrears to the Austrian state by the declining Foscarini family.
Foscarini Giovanelli Palace, a historic building from the 1500s painted with mythological figures by Zelotti, is now home to one of the most elegant 4 star hotels in Venice, rich in charm and a history that includes tenants such as the Mozart family and the King of Denmark, Frederick Christian IV.
The Foscarini family lived at the palace in the eighteenth century, along with their most illustrious representative, Doge Marco Foscarini, who was responsible for the many rare manuscripts, all bound in red leather and stamped with the emblem of the Foscarini family.
The Illustrious Tenant
- A cultured man with a great passion for literature and a close friend of poet Gaspare Gozzi, Marco Foscarini was the 117th Doge of the Republic of Venice. Called the "Gran Cagnesco" (big scowler) for his serious demeanor, he remained in office just one year and was remembered for his extraordinary speaking ability, credited as one of the most brilliant and ingenious men in the history of the Serenissima.
The Palace
- The splendid residence that now houses Hotel Palazzo Giovanelli was built by the Coccina family. Sold in 1581 to the Florentine family of Luca Antonio Giunta, the palace was inherited by the Foscarini family after two of the brothers married descendents of Giunta. It was leased to the Giovanelli family in 1755.