Fondaco dei Turchi

The Fondaco dei Turchi (Venetian: Fontego dei Turchi "The Turks' Inn") is a Veneto-Byzantine style palazzo on the Grand Canal of Venice, northeast Italy. The palace was constructed in the first half of the 13th century by Giacomo Palmier, an exile from Pesaro. The Venetian Republic purchased it in 1381 for Niccolò II d'Este, the Marquess of Ferrara. During its early history, the palazzo also served as a residence to many visiting dignitaries. From the early 17th century through to 1838, the fondaco served as a one-building-ghetto for Venice's Ottoman Turkish population (thus "dei Turchi"). The fondaco then served as a combination home, warehouse, and market for the Turkish traders, as the Fondaco dei Tedeschi served as headquarters and...