Ca' Sagredo

The Ca' Sagredo is a 14th-century Byzantine-Gothic style palace located on the corner of the Strada Nuova and Campo Santa Sofia, in the sestiere of Cannaregio in central Venice, Italy. It now faces the Grand Canal (Venice), and across the campo from the Ca' Foscari.

The palace, which originally belonged to the Morosini family, was purchased in 1661 by the ambassador Nicolò Sagredo (who would become Doge 1675-1674). In his work, “Dialogue concerning the Two Chief World Systems”, Galileo, has a conversation in this palace with his close friend, the mathematician, Gianfrancesco Sagredo. While other sources indicate the palace was bought by his nephew, Zaccaria in 1704-1714, the latter date would preclude the conversation between Galileo and Giovanni Francesco Sagredo at this palace.

Zaccaria Sagredo did pursue extensive refurbishment of the palace in the 18th century, with designs by the architect Tommaso Temanza. The interiors were refurbished with the creation of a scenic staricase (1732), designed by Andrea Tirali, and decorated with the Fall of the Giants (1734), a fresco by Pietro Longhi. One guide describes the frescoes with the statement: "Venetians have a habit of "painting the lily and gilding refined gold", and Longhi's fresco was not considered de trop". Two marble cherubs by Francesco Bertos decorate the entrance to the staircase.

Count Agostino Sagredo (died 1871), an Italian Senator, owned the palace in the 19th century. The Sagredo family retained ownership of the palace until members of the family sold it in 1913, after which time the palace had a sequence of various owners until it became a private hotel, its present function.

...
Wikipedia