Palazzo dei Dieci Savi Historical Timeline

Origins

Construction began in 1521 under the architect Antonio Abbondi, known as lo Scarpagnino, the same architect responsible for rebuilding much of the surrounding Rialto market district after a devastating fire tore through it in 1514.

Turning points

The palace was built to house the Dieci Savi alle Decime, literally "the ten wise men of the tithes," the Republic's magistrates responsible for assessing and collecting taxation. They occupied the building continuously until the Republic itself was dissolved in 1797.

Influential people

After the Republic's fall, the building passed into a long second life as a government office rather than a private residence -- fitting for a palace whose entire original purpose was administrative rather than domestic.

Cultural evolution

A small but pointed addition came in 1848: a bas-relief of the Lion of St. Mark, carved during the short-lived Republic of San Marco, the revolutionary government Daniele Manin briefly established in Venice before Austrian forces retook the city. The relief remains on the facade as a physical trace of that brief uprising.

Present-day significance

From the 20th century until 2014, the palace housed the Magistrato alle Acque, Venice's historic water authority responsible for managing the lagoon. Today it serves as the seat of the Provveditorato Interregionale alle Opere Pubbliche, a regional public works authority covering Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Friuli Venezia Giulia.