The Doge's Palace (Italian: Palazzo Ducale, Doge is the Venetian for Duke) is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of Venice. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the Republic of Venice. In 810 AD, the Doge moved the seat of government from the island of Malamocco to the area of the present-day Rialto. However, no traces remains of that 9th-century building partially destroyed in the 10th century by a fire. The following reconstruction works changed the entire layout of the St. Mark's Square, but only few traces remain of that palace at the ground floor of the new Gothic palace.Its constructions started around 1340. During the centuries there were fires, new wings and apartments added, until it became a museum, owned by the Italian State. The oldest part of the palace is the façade overlooking the lagoon, you can see in the photo. The white and pink stone work is a reminder of the fact that once Venice was made of wood, with wattle-and-daub walls: only after a number of terrible fires the Doge moved the glass works to the Island of Murane, and started to rebuild the city in stone. Actually, Venice is an immense pile dwelling built over more than a hundred islands in the midddle of a marshy lagoon. In order to overcome the difficulties, Venetians developed unusual building techniques, using impermeable Istrian stone supported by wooden rafts with larch timber and pile, mostly pine timber. Most buildings in Venice, therefore, still stand solidly on piles more than 500 years old. Thanks for your kind comments.