Doges Palace, Venice, Italy

I know that I have shared images from St. Mark's Square and the palace before, but this time I was able to visit the interior!

As you enter the palace, there is a large courtyard that has a view of the dome on St. Mark's Cathedral. 

In the center of the courtyard, the remains of a cistern used to collect rain water for drinking before Venice was connected to an aqueduct for fresh water. 

When important foreigners visited the Republic of Venice, they were sent up the gold staircase to impress them before they met the doge and his council.

The doge was an elected position that was held for life. However,  the Venetians did not fully trust any one person, so they often elected men who were in their 80s and not likely live long enough to become too authoritarian.  That lack of trust was clear in the "throne" below that includes 3 seats on each side flee the council members that were required to be with him anytime he met with anyone,  including the Senate!

A lack of trust was not limited to the doge in Venice. There were several boxes throughout the palace for citizens to anonymously turn in people for suspicion of committing such crimes as bribery and treason.

And accessing the "mail" required two keys held by two people!

The palace was also the place for justice and the punishment for crimes was decided here and prisoners were brought in from the prison next door by crossing the Bridge of Sighs.

The bridge is the white, closed bridge at the back of the picture above and the view from inside the bridge is below. 

When many prisoners walked through this bridge, they saw Venice for the last time. 

Once they entered the prison, they lived in cramped rooms with several other prisoners in terrible conditions.