Palazzo dei Rettori
Last updated on September 8, 2026Overview
The Palazzo dei Rettori stands on Piazza del Duomo in Belluno, and it is the building Venice put here to govern from.
Begun in 1491 and finished in the 1530s, it housed the rettori -- the podestà and captain sent from Venice to administer the city -- and it is a straightforward statement of who was in charge.
The facade is early Venetian Renaissance: an open loggia at ground level, a regular range of arched windows above, and a clock tower added later. It remains a government building, now the Prefecture.
Quick Facts
- Type: Palace
- Local name: Palazzo dei Rettori (vedi la pagina italiana)
- Built: Begun 1491, completed 1530s
- Architectural style: Venetian Renaissance
- Built for Venice’s governors: The palace housed the rettori -- the podestà and captain sent from Venice on fixed terms to administer Belluno after 1404.
- Still a government building: It passed to the Italian state and remains the seat of the Prefecture, which is why the interior is not generally open.
Visit Responsibly
This is a working government building. Photograph the facade from the square, and do not attempt to enter or use the loggia as anything other than a public passage.
Belluno is a small provincial city rather than a tourist destination, and its centre is used by the people who live and work in it. The useful thing a visitor does is spend a little there.
The historic centre is compact and on a slope; park at the edge and walk in.
Plan Your Visit
The palace is seen from the square. It is in use as the Prefecture and the interior is not open to visitors, other than occasionally on national heritage open days.
It stands on Piazza del Duomo in the centre of Belluno, five minutes' walk from Piazza dei Martiri and about fifteen from the railway station.
This is a ten-minute stop, taken together with the cathedral opposite and the square itself.
The square and the loggia are level and accessible, though the centre of Belluno is on a slope and some approaches involve a climb.