Ca’ Farsetti is a typical example of Veneto-byzantine architecture of the late 13th century. Property of the Dandolo family, it was initially the residence of the doge Andrea Dandolo in the mid-14th century, a man known for his great culture and mildness, and a dear friend of the poet Francesco Petrarca. At the end of the 1600’s the house was sold to the Farsetti family, and in 1826, after the last heir had squandered the family inheritance, the palace had to be sold and became Venice’s Town Hall.