Ca' da Mosto Historical Timeline

Origins

Ca' da Mosto's construction is generally traced to the 13th century, when the da Mosto family entered the Venetian patriciate; the palace's own waterfront portego may be even older, and its earliest owner was likely Marco da Mosto.

Turning points

The explorer Alvise Cadamosto -- whose own name is a contraction of "Ca' da Mosto" -- was born and later died in the palace; between 1454 and 1462 he sailed the West African coast in the service of Portugal's Prince Henry the Navigator, among the first Europeans to reach and describe the Gambia and Cape Verde.

Influential people

From the 16th to the 18th century the palace operated as a hotel, the Leon Bianco, founded in 1661 and counted among the most famous inns in Venice, hosting a long list of notable guests over its working life.

Cultural evolution

Like much of the surrounding Grand Canal, the building has been renovated repeatedly since, its use shifting from patrician residence to inn to largely private apartments today.

Present-day significance

Ca' da Mosto remains one of the clearest surviving examples of Veneto-Byzantine palace architecture on the Grand Canal, and its own name still carries the memory of the family -- and the explorer -- who once called it home.