LOGGIA DEL CAPITANIATO

The Loggia del Capitaniato, also known as the Loggia Bernarda, is now the site of the city council, but was once the official residence of the Venetian military headquarters. The palace was designed in 1565 by the architect Andrea Palladio and constructed between 1571 and 1572, replacing the existing late-medieval building. The loggia, located in the Piazza dei Signori, opposite the Basilica, remained partially incomplete however. Only three of the original five or perhaps seven spans originally planned were constructed. The façade presents three majestic arches defined by four gigantic semi-columns that rise up to just below the balustrade of the attic. The white stuccoes and the stone statues that decorate the building commemorate the Venetian fleet’s victory against the Turks at Lepanto, creating a contrast with the unplastered, red brickwork.