The Palazzo Contarini

The Palazzo Contarini rose from the dark waters of the Grand Canal like a towering Gothic fortress of white Istrian marble and delicate pointed lancet arches. Hundreds of flaming pitch torchieres, mounted on iron brackets along the water gates, cast dancing orange reflections across the dark, undulating swells. Dozens of sleek mahogany water taxis and antique gilded gondolas congested the private canal dock, discharging Europe’s most powerful aristocrats, masked oligarchs,…