PROCURATIE VECCHIE

In Venice's most famous square lies a palace that the whole world, until now, was content to admire from the outside. This former place of power, whose Renaissance architecture helped shape the atmosphere of St. Mark's, is finally open to the public, after 500 years of watching over the Serenissima in the shadows.
Since April 2022, and after five years of restoration, this historic building finally reveals its interior to the public. Welcome to the Procuratie Vecchie (Old Procuratie, in French), of which only the hundred or so windows and the sublime arches on which its façade rests were previously known.
The British architect David Chipperfield coordinated the work. The work was carried out in collaboration with local craftsmen who are masters at enhancing the traditional Venetian floors, walls and ceilings. Chipperfield and his teams were responsible for restoring the 12,000 square meter building to its former splendor, when this charismatic palazzo housed the apartments of the Procurators.
In the days of the Venetian Republic, these high magistrates assisted the Doges. They were in charge of social affairs. It was in the Procuratie Vecchie that these officials were housed, free of charge. A benefit in kind of which they were fully aware, according to historians, to the point that they refused to receive any salary.

The restored building has obviously kept this moral and social fiber in its heart. Owned by the Generali Group, it now houses the offices of Human Safety Net, the Italian insurance company's humanitarian foundation. This NGO occupies the third floor, a floor with uncluttered spaces (just like the coworking area), designed and bright, the only one that is almost completely accessible to visitors. Human Safety Net's mission is to support social inclusion, to help the most vulnerable individuals, especially refugees. Its goal is to give them back their confidence and the means to develop their personality and professional potential.
Through exhibitions and interactive workshops, you will be invited to reflect on the expression of your own potential. Your entrance ticket will contribute to the financing of the foundation's solidarity projects. The discovery of the Procuraties Vecchie, you will have understood, reserves a visit as unique as enriching, as immersive as relevant, all this without ever really leaving San Marco of the eyes... A timeless privilege for the blow.