Palazzo Contarini della porta di ferro

• Castello 2926
• Venice

Palazzo Contarini della Porta di Ferro  is an ancient building from the 14th century, a short walk from Piazza San Marco, rich with history and legend, proposing a special stay in exclusive apartments and elegant suites, experiencing Venice in a different way for longer periods, romantic week-ends or even just for one night.

The name 'with the iron door' is derived from the iron door decorations which are today lost. The palace was much altered, especially the façade towards the Rio di San Francesco, where no gothic elements can be found any more.

The courtyard has one of the few examples of gothic stairways. Some columns of the balustrade were obviously removed later. On the platform balustrade, there is a Janus face sculpture which is often depicted in the technical literature. Some remains of the more or less original polychrome exterior frescoes are still visible on the right back façade.

NOWADAYS THE PALACE IS CLOSED