around the VI century A.D. the people living on the mainland, frightened by the
arrival of the Barbarians, found a permanent refuge on the island of the vast
They have consequently been covered by wooden slabs and a base of Istrian stone upon which the building were constructed.
The first architects found inspiration from the Byzantine art , because the trade links between venice and Costantinopole, capital of Bizantium.
Facades of palaces or houses with byzantine influence are recognizable by their pointed arches and carved windows heads, which give a delicate and lacelike appearance (13th century).
Houses of Renaissance (15th/16th cent.) have a classical style borrowing motifs from ancient Rome and Greece, incorporated in fluted columns, Corinthians capitals, and semicircular arches.
Venetian Baroque has its own roots in Renaissance style but it is far more exuberant. Cherubes, grotesque masks, rosettes animate the main facade of buildings of this period.
Venetian house: the layout of a typical palazzo or casa has changed little over the centuries, but it was so divided: the main entrance was on the water and on ground floor there were the storehouses and offices for the transection of business; the piano nobile on the first floor, often lavishly decorated was used to entertain visitors. The upper floor was housed by the family. Attic rooms were reserved for the servants.