Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo Historical Timeline

Origins

The palace was built for the Contarini family, one of Venice's most prominent noble houses, in its present form in the 15th century, designed by the architect Giovanni Candi as a private residence in a quiet corner away from the Grand Canal.

Turning points

The building's defining addition came in 1499, when the architect Giorgio Spavento is believed to have designed the external spiral staircase that made the palace famous. Rather than tucking a staircase inside the building, as was conventional, it was built as a freestanding cylindrical tower against one side of the courtyard, wrapped in tiers of arched loggias climbing to a covered belvedere at the top.

Influential people

The staircase's unusual design set it apart from other Venetian palaces of the period, and it later caught the eye of filmmaker Orson Welles, who used the palace as one of his filming locations -- standing in for Brabantio's house -- in his 1952 film adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello, with the spiral staircase prominently featured on screen.

Cultural evolution

Like many smaller Venetian palaces, the building spent long stretches out of public view, valued mainly as a curiosity for architecture enthusiasts and film location scouts rather than as a formal visitor attraction. The staircase underwent a significant restoration beginning in 2015.

Present-day significance

The palace and its staircase have been open to the public since February 2016, following that restoration. Visitors can now climb the spiral stairway themselves to a rooftop loggia at the top, with views out over the surrounding rooftops of Venice.