Toreally get a feel for the eighteenth century Rococo, you must start at PalazzoMocenigo. It was once owned by the noble Mocenigo Family, which had many doges,literary figures, ambassadors and military heroes. It was bequeathed to thecity of Venice by Alvise Nicolò Mocenigo in 1945, who was the last descendentand wanted the palace to become an art museum. Inside you will discover theeighteenth-century passion for floral motifs, soft shapes, delicate hues andpastel tones which dominate the furniture and costumes, and which celebrate thejoie de vivre of the age. A section of the palace is dedicated to perfume,where you can learn about and smell the various bouquets that the masterperfumers mixed to create lotions, creams and fragrances, and whose formulaeare still used today.Afterleaving the splendor of Palazzo Mocenigo, you will continue towards RialtoMarket, the large open air market which sparked Shakespeare’s imagination: itwas one of the most important scenes in The Merchant of Venice and it iswhere you will learn about the goods, traffic, merchants, noblemen and colorfullocals who frequented it.
