The Scala dei Giganti, a monumental marble staircase, is an iconic feature of the inner courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale. Built at the end of the 15th century (1486-1497) and designed by Antonio Rizzo, it is crowned with statues of Mars and Neptune by Jacopo Sansovino (1565). It once served as the entrance used by the Doge to access his private apartments and as a ceremonial entrance for receiving ambassadors visiting the Palace.

Over the past forty years, the staircase has undergone two restoration campaigns. Even so, it continues to show signs of decay that experts don’t yet fully understand. Several factors may be at play: materials used in earlier restorations, tiny airborne organisms that settle on the stone, and climate change.

Save Venice and the Fondazione Save Venice – ETS, with generous support from The Gritti Palace, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice, are funding a pilot restoration of the staircase to investigate the root cause of the persistent decay.

The project, carried out in collaboration with the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, will develop a model for the monument’s maintenance, drawing on a series of diagnostic tests and material analyses to identify the most effective conservation methods. The work will take approximately six months and will be conducted by conservator Jonathan Hoyte and scientists from CNR ICMATE of Padua. Their efforts will continue through the summer and milder autumn season. The treatment results will then be assessed for effectiveness the following winter, when the staircase is exposed to the harshest weather conditions.

WATCH NOW | Take a behind-the-scenes look at the pilot restoration of the Scala dei Giganti at Palazzo Ducale. Video: Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia