Palazzo Ducale restoration reveals hidden structural details

The restoration of Palazzo Ducale in Venice, completed on November 16, 2023, after 18,000 hours of work, uncovered new insights into the building's historic facades. The €2.8 million project, funded by the Comune di Venezia and managed by Fondazione MUVE, began in April 2022 and was executed in four phases using mobile platforms to avoid disrupting visitor access or the view from Piazza San Marco. Ground-penetrating radar surveys preceded the work, aiding understanding of the facade construction. The restoration focused on the distinctive diamond-pattern cladding of white Istrian stone and red Verona marble, which was found to be 13 centimeters thick and integral to the structure, not merely decorative. Work also included the pinnacles and battlements (red Verona stone and limestone), four corner tabernacles, stone gargoyles, and five Gothic mullioned windows in the internal courtyard. Anti-seismic reinforcement was added to the summit cornice and degraded stone elements. The city administration praised the mobile platform method and plans to reuse it for future monument restorations. Earlier, in spring 2023, the Quadreria of Palazzo Ducale reopened after a renovation led by Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia with Venice International Foundation, restoring the 17th-century layout and highlighting Flemish masterpieces alongside works by Carpaccio, Titian, Bellini, Tintoretto, and Tiepolo.