Enhance your holiday travel experience by downloading this audio tour of the Doge Palace in Venice, Italy
Great Discoveries audio tour of Doge Palace (Palazzo Ducal) will provide you with a most entertaining and enlightening visit to this uniquely beautiful Byzantine-Gothic building. The palace was the residence of the Venetian doges from 1340 up to the fall of the Republic in I797 but it was also Venice Italy's public palace and the seat of its government, legislative bodies and its courts. It remains the richest symbol of Venetian civilization, of its cultural, military, political, and economic history.
Doge is an old Venetian word derived from the Latin dux, meaning 'leader, which specifically applied to the chief magistrate of the Republic for over 1,000 years. One hundred and twenty doges reigned between 697 and 1797. Three ruled for less than a year and one for twenty-seven years with an average tenure of five to ten years. Venetians did not believe their doges received authority from the Pope or the Holy Roman Emperor, making the Republic and the doge unique among European states and rulers of the time. The Republic and the reign of the Doges ended in 1797 at the hands of Napoleon. On that occasion, the last doge, Ludovica Manin, left the palace, handed his valet the ducal cap, and said, 'Take it. I shall not be needing it again .
Never a democracy or even a pure Republic, Venice, through the will of the people and the vote of an assembly, invested the doge with his power, a power that was by no means absolute. In a city so dependent upon trade and profit, where every political decision affected both, a single doge was not trusted to represent everyone's interests. Therefore, to protect their wealth and to continue Venice's success they created the Maggior Consiglio, or Great Council, which consisted of all male members of the noble families of Venice over the age of 18.
Visitors will view the Great Council Hall, the Chamber of the Council of Ten, and the Chamber of the Senate, the torture chamber, prison cells, a remarkable armory, and other rooms. The famous Bridge of Sighs connects the Doge's Palace with the state prisons, which once confined the renowned 18th century Venetian adventurer, Casanova. All historic periods are visible in an extraordinary stratification of structural and decorative elements: from the antique foundations of the original Gothic complex, to the great halls, dedicated to political life, and decorated by the canvases of Veronese, Titian, Tintoretto and others.
Our carefully researched tour identifies and locates the most relevant treasures to ensure that you do not miss the important pieces and that you clearly understand each items artistic and historic significance. A professional narrator, accompanied by historically appropriate background music delights, informs and amuses as she guides visitors through each extraordinary room explaining the palaces history and its great works of art, along with intriguing tales about the lives of the people involved.
Guides are recorded in easy to follow segments that are readily located on your iPod. This 3 hour and 3 minute, 42 track, audio tour is designed to work with an easy to read building diagram, with clearly numbered locations, which coordinate with the track numbers and descriptions displayed on your iPod.
Author/Spoken: Jim Sweeney/Katrina Rosa
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Enhance your holiday travel experience by downloading this audio tour of the Doge Palace in Venice, Italy
Great Discoveries audio tour of Doge Palace (Palazzo Ducal) will provide you with a most entertaining and enlightening visit to this uniquely beautiful Byzantine-Gothic building. The palace was the residence of the Venetian doges from 1340 up to the fall of the Republic in I797 but it was also Venice Italy's public palace and the seat of its government, legislative bodies and its courts. It remains the richest symbol of Venetian civilization, of its cultural, military, political, and economic history.
Doge is an old Venetian word derived from the Latin dux, meaning 'leader, which specifically applied to the chief magistrate of the Republic for over 1,000 years. One hundred and twenty doges reigned between 697 and 1797. Three ruled for less than a year and one for twenty-seven years with an average tenure of five to ten years. Venetians did not believe their doges received authority from the Pope or the Holy Roman Emperor, making the Republic and the doge unique among European states and rulers of the time. The Republic and the reign of the Doges ended in 1797 at the hands of Napoleon. On that occasion, the last doge, Ludovica Manin, left the palace, handed his valet the ducal cap, and said, 'Take it. I shall not be needing it again .
Never a democracy or even a pure Republic, Venice, through the will of the people and the vote of an assembly, invested the doge with his power, a power that was by no means absolute. In a city so dependent upon trade and profit, where every political decision affected both, a single doge was not trusted to represent everyone's interests. Therefore, to protect their wealth and to continue Venice's success they created the Maggior Consiglio, or Great Council, which consisted of all male members of the noble families of Venice over the age of 18.
Visitors will view the Great Council Hall, the Chamber of the Council of Ten, and the Chamber of the Senate, the torture chamber, prison cells, a remarkable armory, and other rooms. The famous Bridge of Sighs connects the Doge's Palace with the state prisons, which once confined the renowned 18th century Venetian adventurer, Casanova. All historic periods are visible in an extraordinary stratification of structural and decorative elements: from the antique foundations of the original Gothic complex, to the great halls, dedicated to political life, and decorated by the canvases of Veronese, Titian, Tintoretto and others.
Our carefully researched tour identifies and locates the most relevant treasures to ensure that you do not miss the important pieces and that you clearly understand each items artistic and historic significance. A professional narrator, accompanied by historically appropriate background music delights, informs and amuses as she guides visitors through each extraordinary room explaining the palaces history and its great works of art, along with intriguing tales about the lives of the people involved.
Guides are recorded in easy to follow segments that are readily located on your iPod. This 3 hour and 3 minute, 42 track, audio tour is designed to work with an easy to read building diagram, with clearly numbered locations, which coordinate with the track numbers and descriptions displayed on your iPod.
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