by Whether by boat or on foot on the Grand Canal, there is one jewel in all of aging that says more than any other, “Welcome to Venice.”
Built by the architect Giovanni Bon and his son Bartolomeo Ca d’Oro for the Contarini family in 1442, it is a foundation of the late Gothic era. Recognizable because of its delicate and ornate cornices and walls and marble facade, it was gilded at its peak with golden leaves, which gave it the name “golden house.” Over the years the building – known as the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro, a national museum – fell into disrepair, and its glory and masterpieces diminished over time.
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Work is now underway to restore the building to its former glory. Venetian Heritage, an international organization dedicated to the preservation of the city’s art treasures, and its director Toto Bergamo Rossi are in charge of its restoration, say that it is expected to reveal a complete restoration of the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro museum. in late 2026.
Pomelato and Venetian Heritage
Milan-based jeweler Pomellato was one of the main supporters of the renovation and in partnership with Venetian Heritage last year was the main contributor to a lighting installation system for the building’s facade, bringing to life a new golden glow that stands. out on the Grand Canal.
“This iconic building showcases the unparalleled craftsmanship and visual culture that Italy has given to the world. For me, the Ca’ d’Oro has a special place in my heart, because it reminds me of the beauty and resilience of Venice, a city that has attracted me since childhood,” says Pomellato chief executive officer Sabina Belli .
Masterpieces Abound
On September 4 and in collaboration with the Venice Film Festival, Pomellato and Venetian Heritage will celebrate the preservation of some of Ca’ d’Oro’s most important masterpieces by producing five excellent exhibition cases to ensure their long-term existence. preservation Among the pieces that will be housed in these new cases are the terracotta models by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, especially the terracotta models of “Allegories of the Four Rivers,” the Rio de la Plata and the Nile, as part of the famous fountain of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona in Rome. Models by Stefano Maderno depicting the Labors of Hercules and works by Camillo Rusconi are also among the pieces preserved in the modern display cases.
After the Venice floods in 2019, Pomellato teamed up with the Venetian Heritage Foundation to restore the monument dedicated to Francesco Morosini, named dog of the city in 1688, a title awarded to heads of state in the Italian city during the middle ages and the Renaissance. The Kering-owned jeweler also funded the restoration of the Ambo Epistle pulpit at the landmark St Mark’s Basilica.
The massive renovation inside the building will touch even the most technical details such as the air conditioning and heating system and the green plaster walls, says Bergamo Rossi, a native Venetian who grew up on the same canal and started out as restorer specialized in marble and stone sculptures. He has restored the sculptures of Venetian basilicas such as San Marco and Santi Giovanni e Paolo.
Bergamo Rossi grew up with the Ca’ d’Oro as a cultural reference and a temple of world treasures such as the San Sebastian by Mantegna and the Double Portrait of Tullio Lombardo. “It’s one of my favorite things… it’s a place I’ve been to a thousand times as a young student and art restorer.”
Bergamo Rossi reflects on the life of Baron Giorgio Franchetti, who bought the palace in 1897. A Venetian Jew and a descendant of the Rothschild family, he had amassed an impressive collection as a museum that was not for his own residential use, and later donated it to the The Italian state in 1916. “It was already very contemporary to do something like this at that time,” he says.
Online game Fashion to the Rescue
In total, Venetian Heritage raised 8.5 million euros for their renovation efforts on the building with supporters such as Peter Marino, who is president and chairman of Venetian Heritage in New York; Luca Marzotto; Marchesa Giovanna Sacchetti, and architect Roger Thomas.
Venetian Heritage The president of Italy Marchesa Valentina Marini Clarelli Nasi took over the restoration of the beautiful chapel that houses Mantegna’s masterpiece, while Marino, an enthusiastic collector of Baroque bronze sculpture, took over a room dedicated to the Renaissance bronze collections. Giorgio Armani undertook the restoration of several masterpieces from the museum’s collection.
Bergamo Rossi says that over time, generous contributions from big fashion brands and conglomerates replaced wealthy American patrons and Gilded Age heiresses like Peggy Guggenheim who supported the city and its wonders when they immigrated from the US to live among the canals of Venice.
“It’s easy for us to collaborate. They love beauty, they love the transmission of heritage,” he says, reflecting on the grand Venetian Heritage charity dinner co-hosted with Dior in 2019 to coincide with the opening of the Venice Biennale and dedicated to the 18th-century Venetian artist Giambattista Tiepolo. The “Tiepolo Ball” marked the 20th anniversary of the foundation and was held at the 17th century Baroque Palazzo Labia in Venice, the same location where the legendary “Oriental Ball” organized by Charles de Beistegui was held on September 3, 1951 For the 2019 Event, the designer Maria Grazia Chiuri, he says, invested her own passion for the artisan wonders that surround the palace, choosing napkins made on the island of Burano and Fortuny fabrics, as well as glasses made in Murano.
Elsewhere in the city, Venetian Heritage funded and curated the reinstallation of the Grimani collection of classical sculpture assembled in its original location after 400 years.
The interest of fashion, he says, continues to help save Venice.
“It’s not about throwing a beautiful party to raise money. This year we celebrated 25 years of Venetian Heritage and always in collaboration with Dior we were able to raise 1.6 million euros and for a small foundation like ours, that’s a lot of money. In the United States and England, collecting money is part of their tradition, but not in Italy,” he says.
Bringing Life to a New Venetian Jewel
To celebrate his latest restoration project at Casa d’Oro, Pomellato created the Bernini Loupe high-jewelry necklace, featuring a rose gold pendant with a slightly hidden rock-crystal gem, “like the mist that covers the Venice often in autumn,” Pomellato. says. The design also features a dome-shaped cutout that resembles a magnifying glass, which the firm says shows appreciation for beauty in all forms. The gem is surrounded by diamonds, creating a play of light that reflects the luminous quality of Bernini’s visions.
“The Bernini Loupe necklace is an invitation to pause and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us, just as Bernini’s models give us a glimpse of his creative genius,” says Pomellato creative director Vincenzo Castaldo.
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