In "Venetia citta' nobilissima e singolare", a successful guidebook first published in 1581, Francesco Sansovino states that Venice has more private palaces than any other city, altough they look different from those in Rome or Florence and in any other part of Italy. But, he adds, "as we live in a well ordered Republic, out of modesty, we call them homes, not palaces".
In fact, all private homes in Venice are always identified as "ca' ", abbreviation for "casa", i.e., home, while only the Doges' Palace - seat of all important governmental institutions, and the Palace of the Patriarch were given the status of "palazzo".
And what does make the Venetian homes so different ? The first obvious answer is that they are almost inevitably built along the waterways. Even when sometimes they are at present overlooking an alleyway, it is because that alley, once a canal, was filled in by the Austrians during the first half of the 19th century, for practical and/or hygienical reasons.
The most outstanding palaces were built along the Grand Canal, which still impresses first time visitors with its magnificence and variety of traceries and styles, but many tall sumptuous stone facades can be seen even along tiny minor "rios", as to say lesser watercourses of modest width and depth.
Another peculiarity of Venetian homes is therefore the water portal, which opens directly on the canal or, less frequently, on a "fondamenta", as to say, a quay. The watergate is the official and most monumental access to the house, altough even the land access (that at any case always exists ) can be elaborate and imposing.
But the most striking feature on the facade are the central bays of windows on the first and second "piano nobile", the second and third floor of the building, a series of three to six (or more) windows with balconies that give light to the central hall, the "portego", and that endow the facade with its "personality".
Once you've entered the water portal you find a wide "androne", or atrium, normally as deep as the entire building, with severe but meaningful decoration: busts of Roman Emperors, flags or other signs of military or maritime glories, such as the famous "fano' ", the triple lamps used on the leading galleys. This open space is suitable to store boats, oars and other boat supplies. The side rooms were used as cellars, storage rooms, laundries, or rented out. This ground floor level was never used as living space or as office by any moderately wealthy family, as it can be occasionally flooded (this happened even in the past centuries!) and tends to be damp and cold most of the year.
Apart from some exception, Venetian "palazzi" don't have a central courtyard like in most parts of Italy. There's, however, a side or back courtyard, with a central rainwater cistern, often enriched by a carved marble or stone well-head (or"vera da pozzo") made in the shape of a large capital, often bearing the coats-of-arms of the family or other symbols.
Palaces built during the Middle Ages - until the end of the 15th century or so - still have an external staircase in the courtyard leading to the first noble floor. Later on staircases began to be inbuilt, often elegantly decorated with stuccoed ceilings and paintings.
