Home > Tourist Attractions  > Italy   Select from the following attraction(s).   Basilica di San Marco (St Mark’s Basilica) Basilica di San Pietro (St Peter’s Basilica) Colosseo (Colosseum) Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence Duomo) Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain) Foro Romano (Roman Forum) Galleria degli Uffizi (Uffizi Gallery) Musei Vaticani e Capella Sistina (Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel) Palazzo Ducale (Doges’ Palace) Panteone (Pantheon) Piazza del Campo (Siena Main Square) Pompeii Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) Spanish Steps and Keats Shelley Memorial House Torre Pendente di Pisa (Leaning Tower of Pisa)       Palazzo Ducale (Doges’ Palace) Description: Located in Venice’s renowned Piazza San Marco, adjacent to the Basilica di San Marco, the Doges’ Palace was home to the government of the former Venetian Republic from AD 697 to 1797. Although the palace was originally built in AD 814, the present structure was completed in the early 15th century. The palace was a showplace for artistry, craftsmanship and architecture, and still exemplifies the splendour of Venetian Gothic style, with graceful arcades and ornate portals. As well as ruling the city state, the doges (a Venetian word from the Latin dux, meaning leader) were great patrons of the arts and the palace is filled with works by Venetian Renaissance masters such as Veronese and Tintoretto. The Ponte dei Sospiri, or Bridge of Sighs, is an integral part of the palace and forms the link between the courts and the prisons across the canal. It is named after the noise prisoners used to make as they were led to confinement in the damp and gloomy cells, which can still be visited on a tour of the palace, and which provide a stark contrast to the opulent living conditions of the doges. Contact Addresses: Palazzo Ducale, San Marco 1, 30124 Venice, Italy Tel: (041) 522 4951. Fax: (041) 528 5028. Transportation: Air: Venice Marco Polo Airport. Water: Ferry: Line 1, 51 or 82. Waterbus (Vaporetto): San Marco or San Zaccaria. Rail: Train: Venezia Santa Lucia Station (Venice Station). Road: Bus: 1, 82, 42 or 52 (to San Zaccaria). Car: A4 (from Turin); A13 (from Bologna); A1 (from Rome or Florence); A1, then A13, then A4 (from Naples); SS11 (from Padua). Cars must be left at the car park at Piazzale Roma directly outside the historic centre, from where it is possible to travel by water or foot to the Doges’ Palace. Opening Times: Daily 0900-1700 (Nov-Mar); daily 0900-1900 (Apr-Oct). Closed 1 Jan and 25 Dec. Ticket office closes 90 minutes before. Admission Fees: EUR9.50/L18,400 (adult over 29), EUR5.50/L10,650 (adult 15-29 or over 65), EUR3/L5800 (child 6-15), free (child under 6).     Copyright © 2005 Highbury Columbus Travel Publishing Ltd.  Terms and Conditions apply.