Palazzo Ariani
Last updated on September 4, 2026Overview
Palazzo Ariani stands in Dorsoduro, facing the church of Angelo San Raffaele and connected by the Ponte del Soccorso to the neighboring Palazzo Zenobio. Its Gothic facade is one of the oldest of its kind still standing in Venice, built on a site documented since the 9th century -- though the palace visible today dates from a 14th-century rebuilding.
Quick Facts
- Type: Historic Place, Palace
- Local name: Palazzo Ariani (vedi la pagina italiana)
- Visitor access: Exterior only
- Built: 14th century (site documented since the 9th century)
- Architectural style: Venetian Gothic
Visit Responsibly
The palace is the Vendramin Corner Technical Institute, an active school with pupils in it. That imposes a limit no rope or sign will state: photograph the facade, not through the windows, and do not go into the courtyard or the entrance.
The quiet of this quarter is not a visitor amenity but a residential one -- these are people's homes and their parish square, with none of the tolerance for noise that the tourist streets have built up. Voices carry across an empty campo far more than they do in a crowd.
Coming here on foot from the Zattere or Campo Santa Margherita, rather than by boat to San Basilio, keeps the walk in proportion to what is at the end of it: a facade to be looked at for a few minutes, in a neighbourhood that is not set up to receive anyone.
How to See It
Palazzo Ariani is a working public school and is not open to visitors. Its facade can be seen from the street in Dorsoduro, near the church of Angelo San Raffaele and a short walk from Campo San Sebastiano.