The richly decorated facade, with its finely carved pointed windows, the oriental pinnacles and the exotic marble tracery, give off an unequivocal touch of the Orient. At one time, some parts of the facade were covered with gold, here is the origin of the name, with very thick finishes, now completely disappeared, but considered one of the greatest examples of Venetian flowery Gothic.
Over the centuries the palace fell into ruin, and to save it was Baron Giorgio Franchetti, patron and collector, who restored it and donated it to the city, together with his private collection of objects, which included Renaissance bronzes, medals, statues and several important Venetian paintings and Flemish.
The building besides houses the Giorgio Franchetti Collections, contains various laboratories for the conservation and restoration of works of art.
Among the decidedly amazing treasures inside we find on the second floor the latest masterpiece by Andrea Mantegna, San Sebastiano from 1506, and two splendid paintings by Vittore Carpaccio, Annunciation and The Death of the Virgin both from 1504, on the third floor La Venere al Mirror by Titian, a painting of particular delicacy and sensuality and the Double Portrait by Tullio Lombardo.
Another characteristic feature of the Ca' d'Oro palace are the important sections that house the ceramics, with important artifacts of Venetian production pottery, dating from the twelfth to the eighteenth century, accidentally found between some excavations in the historic center or in the banks of the river Brenta in Fusina.
Another great passion of Giorgio Franchetti were ancient marbles, we find a beautiful example in the atrium, where we can admire the splendid workings of marble with musical harmonies, meticulously selected in Rome, favoring the rarest and most precious.
