Ca' Foscari

Ca' Foscari, the palace of the Foscari family, is a Gothic building on the waterfront of the Grand Canal in the Dorsoduro sestiere of Venice, Italy. It was built for the doge Francesco Foscari in 1453, and designed by the architect Bartolomeo Bon. It is now the main seat of Ca' Foscari University of Venice. The palace is located on the widest bend of the Grand Canal. Here, during the annual Regata Storica (Historical Regatta), held on the first Sunday in September, a floating wooden structure known as the La Machina is placed (from this structure the Venetian authorities watch the race); this is also the site of the finishing line, and the venue for prize-giving. A Byzantine palace known as the "House with the Two Towers" previously stood on the site. Ca' Foscari's external courtyard is the biggest courtyard of a private house after that of the Doge's Palace.