Ca' Sagredo
Ca' Sagredo is a historic Byzantine-Gothic palace on Venice's Grand Canal that now operates as a private hotel.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Ca' Sagredo is a historic Venetian palace situated at the corner of the Strada Nuova and Campo Santa Sofia in the Cannaregio district of central Venice. The building stands on the Grand Canal, opposite Ca' Foscari and beside Palazzo Giustinian Pesaro, placing it within one of the city's most important concentrations of aristocratic architecture. Its origins reach back to the 14th century, when it was constructed in a Byzantine-Gothic style characteristic of medieval Venice. The palace is distinguished by its canal-facing façade, ogival windows, quatrefoil detailing and large ceremonial interiors. The property was originally associated with the Morosini family. It entered the Sagredo family’s history in the 17th or early 18th century, although published accounts differ over the precise date and purchaser. One account attributes the acquisition to the ambassador Nicolò Sagredo in 1661, while other accounts identify his nephew Zaccaria Sagredo and place the transaction between 1704 and 1714. This chronology matters because the palace has also been connected with the scientific and intellectual circle surrounding Galileo Galilei and the mathematician Giovanni Francesco Sagredo. The dates in the surviving accounts do not fully align, so the connection should be treated as part of the building’s historical tradition rather than as an uncontested dating point. Zaccaria Sagredo undertook an extensive refurbishment during the 18th century, transforming the medieval residence into an elaborate aristocratic palace. The work included a monumental staircase designed by Andrea Tirali in 1732 and decorated with Pietro Longhi’s fresco The Fall of the Giants in 1734. Marble cherubs by Francesco Bertos embellish the entrance to the staircase. The palace also acquired richly decorated salons, stucco work, frescoes, painted ceilings and a substantial art collection. Zaccaria was an important collector and patron associated with artists including Giambattista Tiepolo and Giovanni Antonio Piazzetta, and the residence became a setting for the display of paintings, drawings, books and decorative arts. The piano nobile contains several notable spaces. The Sala del Doge includes a ceiling painting by Nicolò Bambini, The Defeat of the Vices, in which Apollo triumphs over figures associated with darkness. The Portego extends across much of the first floor, linking the canal-facing and land-facing sides of the palace. Its Grand Canal side retains characteristic Gothic openings. Other interiors include a two-storey library, the Sala Amigoni with fresco decoration attributed to Jacopo Amigoni, the Casino dei Sagredo with 18th-century stucco work by Carpoforo Mazzetti and Abbondio Stazio, and a music ballroom with frescoes attributed to Gaspare Diziani. Apollo and related classical themes recur across several decorative schemes. Much of the movable decoration and art amassed by the Sagredo family was dispersed through sales over the following centuries. Nevertheless, important architectural features and selected large-scale works remain in situ. Decorative material from a bedroom dating to approximately 1718—including stucco, marble, glass and furniture—has also entered the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, illustrating the international dispersal of the palace’s interior heritage. The Sagredo family retained the palace until 1913, when members sold it. The building subsequently passed through a series of owners, including the art collector Francesco Pospisil and his daughter Maria, who was associated with the property from 1936 to 1987. In its current phase, Ca' Sagredo functions as a private hotel, combining hospitality with the conservation and presentation of a historically significant Venetian residence. Its identity is therefore based less on a conventional consumer product portfolio than on architectural heritage, aristocratic interiors, cultural tourism and the experience of staying in a historic Grand Canal palace.
History
Ca' Sagredo is a 14th-century palace in Venice’s Cannaregio district, located at the intersection of the Strada Nuova and Campo Santa Sofia on the Grand Canal. Its architectural character is rooted in the Byzantine-Gothic tradition, with a canal façade marked by ogival windows and quatrefoil ornament. The site was originally connected with the Morosini family before becoming associated with the Sagredo dynasty. Accounts of the transfer to the Sagredos differ. One historical narrative states that Nicolò Sagredo, a Venetian ambassador who later became doge, acquired the palace in 1661. Other accounts attribute the purchase to his nephew Zaccaria Sagredo and place it between 1704 and 1714. The discrepancy also affects the traditional story that Galileo met the mathematician Giovanni Francesco Sagredo at the palace. Because the proposed ownership dates do not fit neatly with that episode, the association is historically reported but chronologically unsettled. During the 18th century, Zaccaria Sagredo substantially remodeled the residence. The refurbishment added or transformed grand interiors intended for ceremonial, artistic and social use. Andrea Tirali designed the principal staircase in 1732, while Pietro Longhi decorated it with a fresco representing The Fall of the Giants in 1734. Francesco Bertos supplied marble cherubs for the stair entrance. The palace’s rooms were further enriched with frescoes, stucco, painted ceilings, marble and furniture. The Sagredo household was also a significant collecting environment. Zaccaria assembled paintings, drawings and books, and supported artists such as Tiepolo and Piazzetta. The Portego, a long first-floor salon connecting the two sides of the building, reportedly once displayed more than one hundred paintings. By the late 18th century, many of these works had been replaced by large canvases by Andrea Urbani depicting hunting scenes and allegorical capricci. Other important rooms include the Sala del Doge, the two-storey library, the Sala Amigoni, the Casino dei Sagredo and the music ballroom. Their decorations draw repeatedly on classical imagery, especially themes connected with Apollo. The palace’s movable heritage was progressively dispersed. Paintings, books, drawings and decorative objects left the building through sales over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. Some architectural and decorative elements survive in the palace, while other components are now held elsewhere. A bedroom interior dating from around 1718, including stucco, marble, glass decoration and furniture, is exhibited at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Count Agostino Sagredo, an Italian senator who died in 1871, was among the later members of the family to own the property. The Sagredos sold the palace in 1913. It then passed through several owners, including Francesco Pospisil, an art collector, and his daughter Maria, who was connected with the building between 1936 and 1987. The palace was eventually converted into a private hotel, its present use. Today, Ca' Sagredo’s significance derives from the combination of a prominent Grand Canal setting, medieval Venetian architecture, 18th-century aristocratic remodeling and surviving artistic interiors.
- 1936
Ownership associated with Maria Pospisil
[1]The property was associated with art collector Francesco Pospisil and his daughter Maria during this period.
- 1913
Sale by the Sagredo family
[1]Members of the Sagredo family sold the palace, ending the family’s long period of ownership.
- 1871
Death of Count Agostino Sagredo
[1]Count Agostino Sagredo, a later owner and Italian senator, died in 1871.
- 1734
Pietro Longhi fresco completed
[1]Pietro Longhi created The Fall of the Giants fresco associated with the monumental staircase.
- 1732
Monumental staircase designed
[1]Andrea Tirali designed the palace’s principal ceremonial staircase as part of the Sagredo-era refurbishment.
- 1718
Decorative refurbishment of palace interiors
[1]A bedroom and associated decorative elements dating to approximately this period reflect the palace’s early 18th-century transformation.
- 1661
Traditional acquisition by Nicolò Sagredo
[1]One historical account dates the palace’s acquisition by the Sagredo family to 1661, when it was purchased by the ambassador Nicolò Sagredo.
Construction of the palace
[1]A palace in the Byzantine-Gothic tradition was established on the site in central Venice, later forming the architectural basis of Ca' Sagredo.
Conversion into a private hotel
[1]After passing through several owners, the palace was converted into a private hotel, its current function.
Products and positioning
A heritage hospitality destination positioned around an aristocratic Venetian palace, its Grand Canal setting, historic interiors, art history and period architectural character.
Hospitality
Historic palace hotel accommodation
Ca' Sagredo’s principal contemporary offering is private hotel accommodation within a historic Venetian palace. The experience is built around the building’s Grand Canal location, aristocratic floor plan, period decoration and proximity to central Venice’s cultural landmarks rather than around a standardized modern hotel format.
Hospitality and cultural venue
Historic salons and event spaces
The palace’s ceremonial rooms—including the Portego, Sala del Doge, library, Casino dei Sagredo and music ballroom—form the architectural and experiential core of the property. Their frescoes, stucco, marble and painted ceilings support heritage-oriented visits, receptions and other hospitality uses when made available by the hotel.
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