he Byzantine palace Ca’ da Mosto sits at a prime location on Venice’s Grand Canal, just as it bends to meet the Rialto Bridge, offering uninterrupted views of the famous landmark. It’s the same panorama that 18th-century Venetian painter Canaletto would carefully reproduce while sitting at the palazzo’s second floor window, his light-drenched depictions of the scene exactly matching that privileged perspective. Built around the 11th century, it is widely agreed that Ca’ da Mosto is the oldest structure lining the ancient waterway and, unsurprisingly, it plays an important role in the city’s history. From around the 1500s, the palace was home to the Campiello del Leon Bianco,
