Procurators Office, Venice Procuratie
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The north and south sides of the Piazza di San Marco in Venice are bordered by the Procuratie, the former offices of the Procurators of San Marco, the chief officials of the Republic. Today the buildings house, amongst other things, the Museo Correr together with the Museo del Risorgimento and the Museo Archeologico.There was a Procurator as early as the 10th century.
Procurators Office Map
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New Procurators Offices
When even the enlarged Procuratie Vecchie became too small the building of the Procuratie Nuove was begun in 1582 on the south side of the Piazza di San Marco. The architect Vincenzo Scamozzi used Sansovino's library as a model, adding another storey and topping it with a cornice (instead of a balustrade). Baldassare Longhena completed the building in 1640 in accordance with Scamozzi's original plans.Today the former official residence of the Procurators houses the Museo Civico Correr, where the magnificent official robes of the Procurators can be seen, the Museo del Risorgimento and the Museo Archeologico.Between 1805 and 1814 Napoleon lived in the Procuratie Nuove whenever, in his capacity as "King of Italy", he visited Venice, his second Italian seat of residence after Milan.
Old Procurators Offices
In 1204 there was a two-story building on the present-day site of the Procuratie Vecchie. The present three-story building dates from between 1480 and 1517; the architect was Mauro Codocci and the building work was completed by Bartolomeo Bon. It is a very fine example of Venetian Early Renaissance architecture and has arcades along the length of its facade (150m/164yds) - 50 on the ground floor and 100 on each of the upper floors.
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