Palazzo Cini — Attraction in Venice

The Galleria di Palazzo Cini, a refined house-museum created in its present state in 1984, preserves the precious core of the ancient art collection of one of the most important Italian collectors of the twentieth century, entrepreneur and philanthropist Vittorio Cini (1885-1977). But its rich and interesting history dates back to the 14th century. This beautiful palace, The Palazzo Loredan Cini, is a Gothic-style palace located between the Palazzo Balbi Valier and the Rio San Vio on the Grand Canal, in the sestiere of Dorsoduro. The palace was formed from the amalgamation of the former Palazzo Foscari-Loredan with the adjacent Palazzo Grimani. The Foscari palace, also called Loredan palace, was built on a site belonging to the Giustinian in the 14th-15th centuries. In 1428 it was purchased by the Republic for 6,500 ducats, and transferred to the Marquis of Mantua. A decade later, it was confiscated and given to Francesco Sforza. Nearly a decade later, it was again appropriated and sold by public auction to Doge Francesco Foscari. From 1564 to 1567, the Grimani palace had been originally built for Vincenzo, of the Santa Maria Formosa branch of the Grimani family. In the 19th-20th century, it was the residence of Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. In 1920, after his marriage to the actress Lyda Borelli, the industrial tycoon Vittorio Cini acquired the Palazzo Foscari on the Grand Canal. He merged it with the adjoining palace. In 1934, under the fascist rule of Mussolini, Cini was named Senator of Italy. Despite the upheavals that occurred at the end of Italy's involvement with the Axis in World War II, Cini remained a major collector of Italian art. Vittorio Cini created in 1951 the Giorgio Cini Foundation, based on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. This foundation was engaged in the protection, patronage, and research regarding cultural and artistic legacy of Venice. Vittorio Cini died in 1977. In 1984, his daughter, Yana Cini Alliata di Montereale, donated his collections to the Palazzo Cini Gallery, under the ownership by the Fondazione Giorgio Cini. So on the first floor we can enjoy the canvases, “Holy Family with St John the Baptist”, by Piero di Cosimo, “Virgin and Child with Saints”, “Angels and Donor”, by Filippo Lippi, “St Thomas Aquinas”, by Fra Angelico, "Madonna and Child", by Piero della Francesca, "Judgment of Paris", by Sandro Botticelli, "Virgin Adoring the Child with Two Angels", by Domenico Ghirlandaio, "Virgin and Child with Two Angels", by Piero di Cosimo , "Two Apostles" by...

Museum with contrasts when I visited early October of 2025; on the first floor a predominantly religious leaning section and on the second floor the life of Casanova during his Venice period. I particularly liked the ink drawings of characters in his entourage. I tried to purchase a book about Casanova in the small museum shop but unfortunately, they did not take cards and I had no cash. Interestingly you could pay your entrance...

Stable exhibition contains operas coming from the family threasury. In this period you can find the exhibition of Piranesi combined with Basilico. If you are in Venice take the chance to visit this exhibition and do not forget to admire the rooms hosting...