One of Venice’s most iconic landmarks is opening its doors for the first time in 500 years after a restoration project by a British architect, revealing its Renaisaance-era architecture and stunning gilt ceilings.
The Procuratie Vecchie in St Mark’s Square is one of the Italian city’s most recognised facades, forming the colonnaded perimeter of the piazza.
But despite being photographed by millions of tourists who descend on the Floating City every year, its interiors have been closed off to the public for centuries.
Sir David Chipperfield is leading a renovation project which will see the 150-yard-long building welcoming tourists from April.
The partly abandoned site will be transformed into a high-tech exhibition centre with new staircases and its Renaissance-era wooden beams restored.
One of Venice’s most iconic landmarks is opening its doors for the first time in 500 years after a restoration project by a British architect
The Procuratie Vecchie in St Mark’s Square is one of the Italian city’s most recognised facades, forming the colonnaded perimeter of the piazza
The partly abandoned site will be transformed into a high-tech exhibition centre (pictured) with big screens and large spaces for the public
Sir David Chipperfield is leading a renovation project which will see the 150-yard-long building welcoming tourists from April
On the first floor, chandeliers and frescoes from the 19th century are being restored where former management offices were located
It will also prove offices for start-ups run by refugees, spaces for humanitarian charities, a cafe and an auditorium.
The project is the initiative of the Italian insurer Generali, which made its Italian headquarters in the palace from 1832.
The restoration involves 11,000 square meters over four floors but the facade remains untouched.
Chipperfield, who also led the rebuilding of the Neues Museum in Berlin, told The Times: ‘This was a private world and it is a pleasure to turn it into a public place.’
The building was previously occupied by Venice’s nine procurators, drawn from the city’s richest families.
The project is the initiative of the Italian insurer Generali, which made its Italian headquarters in the palace from 1832 (pictured during construction in 2017)
The mammoth restoration project involves 11,000 square meters over four floors but the facade remains untouched
It will also prove offices for start-ups run by refugees, spaces for humanitarian charities, a cafe and an auditorium
They lived and worked in the Procuratie and took care of the basilica while also providing charitable assistance to the poor and managing residents’ wills.
They represented the elite of Venetian society and their office was second only to the doge.
Alberto Torsello, the building’s site manager, said: ‘They were part of that rigid control over Venetians that made Venice so successful, and the fact they lived overlooking the most important square in the city symbolised that control.’
The first building was completed in 1532 before a second twin facade on the other side of the square was added in the same century.
The second building would later house the renowned Caffe Florian which served Enlightenment intelligentsia and famous writers and artists such as Marcel Proust, Charles Dickens, Lord Byron and Goethe.
Despite being photographed by millions of tourists who descend on the Floating City every year, its interiors have been closed off to the public for centuries
The building was previously occupied by Venice’s nine procurators, drawn from the city’s richest families
The first building was completed in 1532 before a second twin facade on the other side of the square was added in the same century
The main facade has 52 arches on the ground level and 300 windows above and was a common meeting place for Venetians.
During the period of French occupation under Napoleon, the Procuratie was turned into an official royal residence and a church and a section of the building were demolished.
It was later occupied by Generali before they departed in 1989 and since then the building has been mostly deserted.
But the insurance company has now returned and wants to revamp St Mark’s Square, creating a roof terrace, 200-seat auditorium and big screens for exhibitions.
During the period of French occupation under Napoleon, the Procuratie was turned into an official royal residence and a church and a section of the building were demolished
The insurance company has now returned and wants to revamp St Mark’s Square, creating a roof terrace, 200-seat auditorium and big screens for exhibitions
The main facade has 52 arches on the ground level and 300 windows above and was a common meeting place for Venetians
Chipperfield says the three interconnected buildings that form it are admired by architects for ‘the sort of ruthlessness of a building that is that long, that makes a square’
Marble skirting on the ground floor will protect the rooms from flood waters in the lowest area of Venice which goes underwater when tides rise by 90cm
On the first floor, chandeliers and frescoes from the 19th century are being restored where the company’s former management offices were located.
While tourists may take the collective Procuratie for granted, Chipperfield says the three interconnected buildings that form it are admired by architects for ‘the sort of ruthlessness of a building that is that long, that makes a square.’
Marble skirting on the ground floor will protect the rooms from flood waters in the lowest area of Venice which goes underwater when tides rise by 90cm.