38 Palazzo Mocenigo

FOR ARISTOCRATS, EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY VENICE was one big party. You can get a blast of it by strolling through this extravagant palazzo that belonged to the Mocenigo family, a grand line of soldiers and politicians that boasted seven doges over the centuries of their heyday.

The building was redesigned in the early seventeenth century, just when a devastating plague hit Venice and the glory days of the Republic began to fade. Little by little, Venice lost its power and possessions in the Mediterranean. By the eighteenth century, Venetians’ fortunes were dwindling. So folks like the Mocenigo decided to make the most of what was left, indulging in pleasures big time.

Venice became the City of Carnevale, celebrating for six months, from October until Lent. Everyone wore masks and cloaks around the city, so they could gamble and cavort with courtesans anonymously. Piazza San Marco was a playground 24/7, filled with fortune tellers, caged lions, trained monkeys, and from the East, giraffes and rhinoceroses. Tourists poured in from all over Europe, impressed by the elegant style Venetians brought to hedonistic behavior.

The fun even included wives. Women wanted to party too—go dancing, to the theatre, and play in the country villas. And since husbands were often away serving the state, or if they were much older than their second wives, since their firsts had died in childbirth, a new position was added to households: the cicisbeo. This was a man servant whose duty it was to escort these wives around.

The cicisbeo slipped into a formal arrangement, often part of a marriage contract. Some were gay, others were lovers. Traditionally they lived in a room above the married couple and were on hand for everything from holding the ladies’ fans and perfumes during outings to pleasuring her in the boudoir. The husband-wife-cicisbeo trio made for perfect marriages. Wives were fawned over by their cicisbeo and could play as they pleased, while husbands were free to cavort with courtesans.

The background of all the gaiety was the fantastic Venetian baroque ornamentation that’s displayed in the immense salons of the Mocenigo palazzo—curvy, gilded furnishings, Burano lace tablecloths, sculpted woodwork, and Murano glass chandeliers shaped like floral bouquets. Mosaic floors celebrate the Mocenigo coat of arms, and ceiling frescos are magnificent, particularly the Allegory of Marriage painted by Jacopo Guarana, to celebrate the wedding of the Doge Alvise IV’s nephew to Laura Corner.

The palazzo’s unique attraction is that it’s also the Study Center of the History of Fabrics and Costumes, so rooms come alive with mannequins posed as if at a party, dressed in the formal styles of the day. Ladies silk gowns are in dreamy ivory and jewel tones, with tight low-cut bodices, poofed skirts, embroidered with pearls and gold. Even menswear became feminine—flared brocade jackets decorated with lace, dazzling vests embroidered with colorful flowers, and elaborate cloaks.

A perfume exhibition completes the sensual experience. Watch the short video to see how the eleventh century Byzantium beauty, Teodora Dukas, is to thank for bringing perfume to Venice when she married a doge. The Venetians disapproved of Teodora’s extravagant ways—eating with a napkin and fork—but they did take to her perfume, as it probably was a welcome relief from the canal stench. With Teodora’s inspiration, Venice rose to become the greatest importer of fragrance extracts in Europe. A booming perfume and cosmetic market began here in the Renaissance and lasted until 1797, when Napoleon stormed in and France took over the fragrance biz.

Tantalizing rooms in this section of the palazzo celebrate the magic of perfume making—with displays of gorgeous Murano glass bottles, a recreation of an alchemist’s lab, and a perfume maker’s organ where a master would work, blending varieties of scents. There is even an interactive area where you can sniff around twenty-four containers of essences—from floral to citrus to spicy.

This section was created by Mavive parfums, pro scent makers who have been on the scene for over a hundred years. They also created a “Merchant of Venice” retail line, so you can buy their perfumes that celebrate Venetian tradition in the museum gift shop.

Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo: Santa Croce 1992 at San Stae vaporetto stop, open April-October, 10-5, November-March: 10-4, closed Monday (www.mocenigo.visitmuve.it)

Golden Day: Visit the Palazzo Mocenigo, then have lunch at La Zucca, a charming place that’s famous for their extraordinary vegetable specialties—you must have the pumpkin flan. (Calle del Tintor, near Riva de Blasio and San Giacomo dell’Orto, Santa Croce 1762, 041 524 1570, closed Sunday, reservations essential)

TIP: Palazzo Mocenigo is one of ten Civic Museums included in the Venice City Pass, which is worth buying if you want to experience Venetian treasures. Info: www.veneziaunica.it