Punta della Dogana

Punta della Dogana is the sharp point of land where the Grand Canal meets the Giudecca Canal, at the eastern tip of Dorsoduro. The building occupying it is the Dogana da Mar, the Republic's sea customs house, where goods arriving by ship were assessed before they could enter the city.

The present structure dates from 1677-82, when Giuseppe Benoni rebuilt it to follow the wedge of the site -- a long, low, triangular block ending in a tower. On top of the tower two bronze Atlases hold up a gilded globe, and on the globe a figure of Fortune turns with the wind, serving as the point's weathervane.

Since 2009 it has housed contemporary art. The French collector François Pinault took a long lease and had the architect Tadao Ando strip the interior back to its brick and timber, inserting bare concrete gallery walls inside the shell. It shows rotating exhibitions alongside Palazzo Grassi, the Pinault Collection's other Venice venue.

The building's exterior and famous weathervane sculpture are freely visible from the waterfront promenade and from passing vaporetti, so seeing the building itself doesn't require an admission ticket.

Punta della Dogana sits at the tip of Dorsoduro, where the Grand Canal meets the Giudecca Canal, a short walk from the Salute vaporetto stop.

The museum is typically closed on Tuesdays, and a combined ticket covering the nearby Palazzo Grassi (also part of the Pinault Collection) is usually available.