Correr Museum

The Correr Museum is a site that holds an important collection of works of art that tell the story of Venice from the birth of the Serenissima to the foundation of the Kingdom of Italy. The museum was created thanks to the legacy of the Venetian nobleman Teodoro Correr, a member of an ancient Venetian patrician family.

Correr was a great lover of art and had arranged for all the works he had collected to be housed in a museum upon his death, so after his death in 1830, Palazzo Correr was turned into a museum site. As time went by, however, the number of works on display increased and so the museum was moved first to the Fondaco dei Turchi and then to the Procuratie Nuovissime in St Mark’s Square.

Things to do at the Correr Museum

It was only over the years that the exhibition at Correr Palace was ordered to allow visitors to follow a tour according to museographic logic. The collection grew larger and larger over time thanks also to bequests, donations and new acquisitions and so in 1887 it became necessary to move the Museum to the Fondaco dei Turchi.

Even this location, however, proved unsuitable and in 1922 Museo Correr was finally moved to the Napoleonic Wing (or Fabbrica Nuova) in St Mark’s Square. Now the Museo Correr not only houses the legacy of Teodoro Correr but also includes an entire complex consisting of the royal rooms, the imperial rooms of Princess Sissi and a picture gallery with works by important artists such as Giovanni Bellini, Antonello da Messina and Vittore Carpaccio.

Neoclassical Rooms

The first floor of the Museo Correr houses the most interesting works of art, as well as the Royal and Imperial Halls that have hosted sovereigns and rulers over the centuries. One of the first sections one encounters during the visit is the Napoleonic Wing, which houses the Neoclassical Rooms and the Canova Collection. This is the original and oldest core of the complex as it was built between 1807 and 1810 by order of Napoleon and his stepson Eugene de Beauharnais.

It begins with the grand entrance staircase that holds a ceiling fresco by Sebastiano Santi and leads to the Neoclassical Rooms . These have their fulcrum in the elegant ballroom that, besides being finely decorated, houses the fresco ‘Peace surrounded by Virtues and Geniuses of Olympus’ by Odorico Politi. This fresco recounts the return of Venetian territories to the Habsburgs after the Napoleonic interlude. We then continue to the Sale Canoviane where important works by the great sculptor Antonio Canova are on display, such as the Orpheus and Eurydice (1775-76) and Daedalus and Icarus (1777-79) groups. In addition, there are several autograph drawings by the sculptor and plaster casts made for other works.

Royal Rooms

After the end of the Serenissima Republic, Venice was ruled by various French, Austrian and Italian emperors and royal families. After Napoleon Bonaparte, Italy was ruled first by the Habsburgs and finally by the Savoys. Every ruler of that period required a residence in Venice that had to reflect the fashions of the time but also the needs of the court. This is why the Royal Rooms were built, occupying the northern area of the Procuratie Antiche and overlooking the Royal Garden and the St. Mark’s basin.

Thus, in the famous ‘City of the Doges’, there are royal rooms covering some 850 square metres and distinguished by fine furnishings and fittings. In the 2000s, renovation work was carried out on the main areas, restoring them to their original splendour. Particularly noteworthy for their elegance are the Vestibule of Honour, the Ballroom and the ceiling of the Throne Room.

Empress Elisabeth’s Rooms

The origin of this wing dates back to 1836 when Emperor Ferdinand I had been crowned king of Lombardy-Veneto and wanted an official residence for his stays in the lagoon city. Towards the middle of the 19th century, the complex was renovated to house flats dedicated to Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth, known as ‘Sissi’. Here you can visit the empress’s study, her bedroom, bathroom and audience chamber.

Most of these rooms are still furnished as they were at the time and are adorned with decorations and frescoes by important artists such as Giovanni Rossi, Giovanni Bevilacqua and Giuseppe Borsato. Don’t miss a stop at the Oval Room (also known as the Daily Dining Room), which was a passageway between the royal flats and the palace’s ‘public’ rooms overlooking St. Mark’s Square. Here there are fine Pompeian-style decorations and two marble busts depicting Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Maria Luisa of Austria.

Venetian civilisation

The spaces of the Procuratie Nuove, which were designed by architect Vincenzo Scamozzi (1552-1616), were originally used for the highest offices of the magistracies of the Venetian Republic, but lost their role with the end of the Republic. This is why there is now an exhibition space here that helps to explore various themes related to the history, culture and politics of the city. From portraits of doges, senators and procurators of St. Mark’s to collections of numismatics and historical flags.

It then continues by recounting Venice’s connection with water and trade and admiring numerous scientific instruments used in navigation. An in-depth look is devoted to the Bucintoro, which was the ship used by the Doge and the Signoria to celebrate the unique rite of marriage between Venice and the Sea. Finally, a section is dedicated to the arts and crafts of the past and the local festivals of the Serenissima. The section also houses several paintings depicting scenes of lagoon life created by the painter Joseph Heinz the Younger in the 17th century.

Quadreria

The Quadreria is located on the second floor of the Museum and holds approximately 140 works, many of which belonged to Teodoro Correr’s original collection, while the others come from bequests and donations.

The canvases on display include paintings by Veneto painters ranging from the 14th to the 18th century, as well as works from the International Gothic period, Ferrarese painting and 15th-century Flemish painters. Prominent artists include creations by Giovanni Bellini, Antonello da Messina, Cosmé Tura, Vittore Carpaccio, Hans Fries and Barthel Bruyn the Elder.

Entrance tickets for the Correr Museum

To enter the Museum you must have a single ticket valid for the Museums of St. Mark’s Square, which includes the Monumental Rooms of the Marciana National Library, the National Archaeological Museum, the Doge’s Palace and the integrated route to the Correr Museum.

Entrance to the Correr Museum with the Venice Museum Pass

Alternatively, admission is also included in the Venice Museum Pass, which allows you to visit 10 museums in the city, including the Doge’s Palace and the Biblioteca Marciana.

Opening Hours

The Correr Museum is open every day from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm (last entrance at 4.00 pm).

How to reach the Correr Museum

Museo Correr can be easily reached on foot or by convenient waterbuses. Those who want to walk can follow the signs to St Mark’s Square, which is about a 30-minute walk from Venice Santa Lucia train station.

Those who take the vaporetto, on the other hand, can take Line 1 to the Vallaresso or San Zaccaria stop, Line 2 to the Giardinetti stop, Line 5.1 or Line 4.1 always to the San Zaccaria stop.

History of the Correr Museum

The Correr Museum is located in St.Mark’s Square in the spaces of the Napoleonic Wing, the Procuratie Nuove and the Procuratie Nuovissime. The latter were built during the rule of Napoleon, who had elected his stepson Eugene de Beauharnais as viceroy in Italy and designated the Procuratie Nuove and Vecchie as the site of the Royal Palace.

The Procuratie, the two large complexes that overlooked the Piazza and had been the offices and residences of the highest dignitaries of the Venetian Republic, had proved too small to accommodate the entire court so it was decided to build a new block later called the Procuratie Nuovissime. To build the Procuratie Nuovissime, the 16th century church of San Geminiano was destroyed and the older Procuratie were remodelled.

The Procuratie Nuovissime therefore became the connecting building between the Procuratie Vecchie on the right and the Procuratie Nuove on the left. The new structure took the name Ala Napoleonica even though it became the residence of the various successive sovereigns. Architects G. A. Antolini, Giuseppe Soli and Lorenzo Santi worked on its design.

Although the various royal families renovated the complex several times, the building managed to retain many original features from both the Napoleonic and Habsburg eras. Since 1922, this complex has been home to the Correr Museum and its vast collection of works.