Doge’s Palace: Prisons & Secret Itineraries Tour

Skip the queue and step inside the Doge's Palace for a guided tour that goes far beyond the grand halls, into the hidden chambers where Venice's most powerful and most punished once crossed paths.

Getting started

Enter through the Porta del Frumento on Piazzetta San Marco. Arrive at least 15 minutes before your tour's scheduled departure as latecomers will not be admitted. Have your ticket and a valid government-issued ID ready at the entrance.

What to expect

Doge's Palace

The Doge's Palace was the seat of the Venetian Republic for over five centuries, a place of gilded diplomacy on the outside and ruthless statecraft within. Your guided tour takes you past the public rooms and into the Secret Itineraries, a warren of spaces that most visitors never see.

The Pozzi

Descend from the courtyard into the Pozzi, the Republic's ground-floor prison cells, notorious for their damp, dark conditions. Your guide will walk you through what detention looked like here, and point out the writings prisoners scratched into the walls.

Offices of the Ducal Notary & Council of Ten

Move through the working rooms of the Republic's most powerful administrative bodies, the officials who handled Venice's most confidential documentation and directed the city's political destiny.

Torture Chamber & Chamber of the Inquisitors

Enter the room where suspects were interrogated in front of judges, and hear your guide explain how Venetian justice operated and where it drew its limits. Adjacent is the Chamber of the Inquisitors, established in 1539 exclusively to protect state secrets.

The Piombi

Ascend to the attic cells known as the Piombi, named for the lead lining of the roof above them. Reserved for political prisoners and those awaiting trial by the Council of Ten, these are the cells that held Giacomo Casanova before his daring escape in 1756.

The Attic & Armoury

Pass through the attic space above the Piombi, where a collection of 16th-century Venetian and Ottoman weapons, crossbows, lances, armour, and shields, is displayed beneath the original wooden roof trusses.