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View on Scala del Bovolo — (Marco Trevisan, Venipedia/Bazzmann)

Bòvoło defines the snail - sometimes the vortex -, in Venetian dialect.
It is precisely the singular yet stunning spiral staircase that makes this palace famous. Its cylindrical turret looks like a rolled-up sheet of paper, where the warm red colour of brick blends beautifully with the white of Istrian stone. Its reference to the Tower of Pisa is strong.

Palace known more often as "Scala del Bovolo", or "Scala Contarini del Bovolo", than with its actual name. Bòvoło is a Venetian term referring to the spiral-shaped stairs and the vortex.

The characterizing element of this building, built between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, is precisely a bòvoło located inside the turret connected to the loggia on the facade of the courtyard. The construction of this architectural element is traced back to 1499 on commission by Pietro Contarini, while the hypotheses inherent to the designer indicate one between Giovanni Candi and Gior

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