doge Archivi - Hotel Bucintoro

Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) is one of the most known venetian person all over the world, especially due to his romantic relationships, which are narrated in his autobiography. Giacomo Casanova was not only a charmer but he was also an adventurer: he was the only one able to escape from the Doge’s palace’s prisons of Venice. He was in jail since the night of July 25th 1755 and put in a cell situated under the roof of the palace. This area was called “Piombi”, because the rooms were covered by plates of lead.
The terrible council of X incarcerated him due to his libertine behaviour. They saw this as a threat to the social stability. Casanova was made out as a fraud too. With his fake magic skills, he was famous for robbing to rich elderly people.
He had to stay incarcerated for 5 years, but he studied from day one how to escape. He could break out from the prison on Nov 1st 1755, together with one anothe inmate, Padre Marino Balbi. They could escape the prison through a hole made in the roof and rappeling down in the courtyard of the Doge’s palace. From there, they were able to leave as common visitors.

When he was 58, Giacomo Casanova starts again to travel around Europe and he writes books as “Storie della mia vita”, published in french, “Storie della mia fuga” of 1788 and the romance “Icosameron” in the same year. He died on June 4th 1798 in the forgotten Dux castle, whispering his lasts and famous words: “Gran Dio e testimoni tutti della mia morte: son vissuto filosofo e muoio cristiano”. (I have lived as a philosofer and i die as a cristian.) He thought that death was just a “change of the shape”.

Today we talk about the boat that gives the name to our beautiful Hotel: The Bucintoro.

The Bucintoro takes its name from the Burcio, a simple and wide boat, used for the transportation of goods. Restyled with sculptures, gildings and carvings, it became the Bucintoro, used as official boat by the Doge.

The name Bucintoro could take its origin from its archaic form Bucentaurus. The myth says that Boukentauros (big centaur) was one of the boat of Enea, in fact ,on the first venetian Bucintoros, seems that a statue of a centaur appeared aft.

Some finishes of this boat are inspired from magical and astrological myths.

The need for a sumptuous craft such the Bucintoro to serve the Duke, can be dated from the 1117´s Benefice, where Pope Alexander III transforms in Marriage of Venice with the Sea, a marine ritual officiated by the Bishop of Castello (Olivolo) since the year 1000 in the Ascension Day.

Since then, the Bucintoro of Venice the Doge’s boat was built every hundred years, changing in size, in number of rowers and the decorative splendour of the Duke in charge. It was a state boat, used to celebrate religious fests and welcome Kings and Emperors.

The Bucintoro of Venice the Doge’s boat.

The Bucintoro of Venice the Doge’s boat was rowed by 168 men, called Arsenaloti, with 42 oars of a lenght of 11 meters. This model of boat measured 50 meters in lenght and 10 meters in width.

On the bow was a wooden and gilded sculpture representing Venice dressed as Justice, with the sword and the scales. Unlike the usual figureheads, this was located upon the bowsprit base, while on the top of this mast was the winged Lion of St. Mark. Aft a small terrace or pulpit from where the Duke used to throw the ring into the Sea during the solemn ceremony of the Marriage of Venice with the sea on Ascension day.

The 1728´s Bucintoro, launched on the 12^th of January, was the most magnificient and the most tragical one: the greed of Napoleon´s troops, after looting it of all the decorations, burned it to get the gold and silver of the gildings on the hull.

Pictures of the Bucintoro at scale 1:10 at the Naval Museum of Venice.

At the Naval Museum,a few steps away from Hotel Bucintoro, (momentarily closed for renovation) you can see a reproduction of the original Bucintoro. Do not miss this occasion!

HOTEL BUCINTORO SRL