Palazzo Grassi

This grand 18th-century palace on the Grand Canal was the last of the great patrician residences built in Venice before the fall of the republic. Its restrained neoclassical facade and airy internal courtyard mark a departure from the older Gothic and baroque palaces around it. In recent decades the building was restored to house a major collection of contemporary art, and its high rooms now hold ambitious changing exhibitions. Together with a converted customs house nearby, it is a leading venue for modern art in the city.