The Doge's Palace Venice ENG 25' 

The Doge's Palace, Venice, Italy
Overlooking San Marco square in the heart of Venice, the Doge's Palace is a brilliant fusion of Eastern and Western architecture. Constructed in the 7th century to house the chief magistrates of the Venetian Republic, or "Doges" as they were called, it was also the center of government for over a thousand years. In 1202, blind old Doge Dandolo sacked Byzantium and brought the city's treasures back to the palace. In 1755, the libertine Casanova was arrested and thrown in the palace prisons, but he soon escaped. His memoirs brought the outrage of Napoleon and the end of the Venetian Republic.