CORRER MUSEUM, History Of Venice

And here we are on the first floor of the Correr Museum. Are you ready to go on a walk through time, browsing the memories of the ancient Republic of St. Mark? Along a very rich path full of objects and works of art, you can relive the emotional history of the Republic of Venice, its symbols, its social and political life, its main characters, the trade, the ships, and everything that made it the Queen of the Mediterranean for a millennium.

By now you've surely become familiar with the winged Lion, which is the symbol of Saint Mark, protector of the city and the State of Venice. The lion holds an open book under his paw with the inscription "Pax tibi Marce, Evangelista meus", which means, "Peace to you Mark, my evangelist".

I recommend attentively visiting the halls dedicated to the figure of the doge, which was the highest political authority of the time and represented the state. In addition to paintings, tapestries, and artwork that remind you of the rites the doge took part in, you can also admire his fabulous clothing, including the "camauro", which was a strange, horn-shaped headgear. The doge was elected after a combination of drawings and voting with a black and white urn and a shaker cup that you can see here. Starting with all the members of the High Council (about 2,000 people), there was a final selection by 41 voters. However, the doge wasn't an absolute dictator with full powers: there were two different magistratures created specifically to watch over his work....