Ca d'Oro

Ca' is short for casa (house), but is used to describe even the finest palaces in Venice. Built on the Grande Canal between 1422 and 1440 the Ca' d'Oro (house of gold) is considered the most elegant example of Gothic Venetian architecture in the city. The 15th-century Renaissance façade of Ca' Dario, the subject of Cameron's Joannis Darius, has a reputation for being cursed. Former residents have reportedly suffered ruined fortunes, peculiar accidents, and strange diseases. Joannis Darius (Giovanni Dario), whose name is inscribed on the house, was the Republic's secretary in Constantinople in 1479. Because Venice is built on wood piles driven vertically into the mud of the lagoon, many buildings, like the Ca' Dario, lean slightly as their foundations have settled over the centuries. The poles that rise out of the water in front of both these houses are used to tie up gondolas so residents can step out their front doors and into a boat.