If you are observant, looking at the white Istrian stone facades of the Venice Doge’s Palace, you might notice that the ninth and tenth columns from the left on the first floor and their balustrade are unexpectedly made of red Verona marble.
How come? Read on to discover the history and legend behind the Doge’s Palace’s pink columns.
Before we begin, a brief preamble: if you plan to visit the Doge’s Palace in Venice, the courtyard, the halls and all the other rooms, it is strongly recommended to buy your ticket online, because of the long queue that may form at the ticket office. By purchasing your ticket in advance, you will be able to enter the Doge’s Palace skipping the queue.
Doge’s Palace ticket: quick access
Buy online. Choose the time you prefer. Visit the Doge’s Palace in Venice, the Bridge of Sighs, the prisons and more.
You can cancel free of charge up to the day before your visit.
Why are there two pink columns in the Doge’s Palace Venice?
The first legend
Legend has it that it was from here that the Doge pronounced the death sentences on members of the patrician class, and pink was therefore intended to recall the colour of blood.
Legend has it that if the culprit was an aristocrat, he was hanged right between the two columns and left hanging there for a few days as a warning to the Venetians.
The gallows were placed right in front of the Clock Tower so that the condemned could see the exact time of his death.
In reality, we have little certain information about the practice.
The first dates back to 1412 when Francesco Baldovino was hung on the gallows here for conspiring against the Venetian Republic.
Other condemned prisoners who served the bitterest of sentences here include:
- in 1468 Giovanni Vallaresso for betraying the Morea enterprise,
- in 1470 Bortolo Memmo, a nobleman guilty of mistreating Domenico Erizzo,
- in 1477 Nicolò di Lazzara, for attempting to wrest Padua from the rule of Venice
- in 1505 Girolamo Tron, hanged for corruption, agreed to surrender the Fortress of Lepanto during the wars against the Turks.
The second legend
Other sources give a more technical explanation.
The two columns are said to have been positioned at the spot where a staircase descending to the square used to start, before the architect Filippo Calendario carried out the restoration of the Doge’s Palace in the 14th century.
Conclusions
Here we are at the end of this short post on the pink columns on the façade of the Doge’s Palace in Venice. Actually, as you can see, the reason for this anomaly has not yet been discovered, but I hope you have been intrigued by this article anyway!
Doge’s Palace ticket: quick access
Buy online. Choose the time you prefer. Visit the Doge’s Palace in Venice, the Bridge of Sighs, the prisons and more.
You can cancel free of charge up to the day before your visit.
Photo credits:
- Doge’s Palace: Photo by Marika Sartori via Unsplash
- Palazzo Ducale Venezia colonne rosa: Photo by Richard, enjoy my life via Flickr
