The Mario Baratto Magna Hall in the Ca' Foscari University of Venice

The headquarters of the University Ca' Foscari of Venice is the 15th-century palace on the Grand Canal, built by the great Doge Francesco Foscari in 1452.

Inside you can admire a splendid jewel of modern architecture: the Mario Baratto Hall, one of the most beautiful halls of Ca' Foscari.

It was built by the famous architect Carlo Scarpa in 1930s, who also designed the furniture (made after his death, by faithfully following the drawings). Before the intervention of Scarpa, this room was occupied by a museum of merchandise. The splendid view of the Grand Canal, where the largest panoramic view can be enjoyed, is made even more remarkable by the superb re-interpretation of the Gothic window carried out by Carlo Scarpa during the restoration of the hall.

On the walls there are two paintings of the years 1932-33: The School, by Mario de Luigi (cubist artwork) and Venice, Italy, and studies by Mario Sironi (of fascist style). The two stone columns at the sides of the chair were created to support two busts of Mussolini.

Currently the room is used to host conferences, press conferences, ceremonies, important training courses, and major University events.

Francesca, who writes the articles for the 'Hidden Treasures' section, also collaborates with venetoinside.com as a tour guide and organizes several private tours in Venice Your Own Venice: Private Guided Tour of Venice With our personalized “Your Own.. Book now . Anecdotes, lesser known places, great classics and ancient traditions to be discovered with an itinerary tailored just for you!