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Renaissance art and architecture: Scala Contarini del Bovolo and Sala del Tintoretto

Scala Contarini del Bovolo aerial view Scala Contarini del Bovolo exterior view Scala Contarini del Bovolo view Sala del Tintoretto exhibition Sala del Tintoretto exhibition

Highlights

  • With the Venice City Pass, you can experience the city’s most popular museums, attractions and tours – one ticket, everything included.
  • The ticket for the Scala Contarini del Bovolo and the Sala del Tintoretto is included in your Venice City Pass. 
  • No advance reservation is required for this attraction – your City Pass is your ticket 
  • Beautiful Renaissance architecture: one of the most famous staircases in the world 
  • Fantastic view over Venice 
  • Exhibition of famous works of art in the Sala del Tintoretto  

A hidden gem among Venice’s many attractions: discover Renaissance dream homes

What awaits you on site

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The Scala Contarini del Bovolo, a spectacular spiral staircase, is an extension of the Gothic Palazzo Contarini. The building was commissioned by Pietro Contarini, the former owner of the palace, in the 15th century and is now one of the most famous Renaissance buildings. At the top of the staircase is a domed room that offers a wonderful view over Venice. The loggia on the second floor of the Scala del Bovolo leads to the representative hall of the Palazzo Contarini (Sala del Tintoretto), where paintings, sculptures and objects are exhibited that provide an exciting insight into the tastes of the Venetian patricians of that time.

The most beautiful spiral staircase in Venice: the Scala Contarini del Bovolo – a staircase as a decorative feature

During its long existence, which spans five centuries of Venetian history, the palace, now known as Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, has undergone numerous changes. In the late fifteenth century, the building was adapted to modern Renaissance tastes with the construction of the loggia and the graceful spiral staircase known as the ‘bovolo’ (Venetian for ‘snail’). The spiral staircase is built into an eighty-foot-high cylindrical tower. Its striking appearance is due to the alternating red cotto bricks and white Istrian stone, and eighty steps lead up to the various loggias and the viewing point. This concept is unusually elaborate for an external staircase and was completely new in this form. The staircase ends in a domed room that offers an excellent view over the entire city. 

How to get there

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Address:
Calle Contarini del Bovolo, San Marco 4303, 30124 Venice, Italy

Good to know

  • Opening hours
    From 26 February 2024 to 20 October 2024:
    daily 10.00 am – 6.00 pm Last admission 30 minutes before closing.
    Monday 28 October 2024 to Sunday 23 February 2025 Daily 9.30 am to 5.30 pm with last admission at 5.00 pm.
  • Closed: 1 January, 7 January, 15 August, 1 November, 25 and 26 December 

The ticket for the Scala Contarini del Bovolo and the Sala del Tintoretto is included in your Venice City Pass.


 

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