Casino Foscarini in Dorsoduro in Venice

Opposite the Carmini Church in Dorsoduro in Venice, there is a beautiful building built during the 1500s. Today part of it is the headquarters of the Belgian consulate, but it was once the home of the famous and powerful noble Foscarini Venetian family.

The interior of the building has two floors, the first floor retains valuable frescoed ceilings of the 17th century and traces of 18th-century stuccos.

In the second half of the 18th century Marco Foscarini lived here, a man of great culture and a brilliant orator who, in 1762, became doge. In the garden of his palace he built a 'casino of delights', a small neoclassical building rich in marble and wood of great value, decorated with the busts of the ancient philosophers and paintings of great historical figures. Here, Marco assembled a large collection of books and manuscripts and began to write a history of Venetian literature.

During his work, the doge encountered  many debts. The art collections of the family were thereby sold by his descendants and the palace began a long decline that culminated in its looting during the French conquest of 1797.

Now the building is in badly need of renovations and the garden, once famous throughout Venice for its extraordinary harmony and the statues that adorned it, is now reduced to a simple green area. If you go to the nearby Ragusei Street at number 3484 you will see the facade of the Casino in Istrian marble, adorned with statues and columns.

In addition to this historic building, the Dorsoduro district holds many more fascinating places. If you would like to visit Venice with a local guide, we recommend our Your Own Venice, a private tour of Venice fully customizable according to your needs and requirements. You can organize your dream itinerary with the guide and perhaps include a visit to Ca' Rezzonico and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, both located in this charming district.