DOGE'S PALACE, Golden Staircase And Hall With Four Portals

If Venice had been ruled by a king, the Doge's Palace would have been the most luxurious royal palace of Renaissance Europe. Keep in mind that the ruling class at the time of the Republic of Venice had, over the centuries, developed a very effective "strategy of images" in which artwork had the precise role of political representation. The culmination of this strategy was during the 16th century, when Venice was considered "the most triumphant city of the universe".

Imagine being a diplomat or a visitor in that era, and going up the steps of the Scala d'Oro, or Golden Staircase, for the first time, which was the natural continuation of the Giants' Staircase: wouldn't you also have been dazzled by so much magnificence? This gorgeous staircase was built around the middle of the century based on the design of the previously-mentioned Sansovino. The stuccoes on a golden background were completed just a few years later.

Now pause the audio and go to the waiting room of the Senate and Signoria Halls....