The golden staircase glimmers at the palace. As if the golden staircase leading up to the Doge's apartment didn't give it away, the elaborate rooms with extremely ornate and detailed ceiling frescos, carvings and paintings would have. The Doge of Venice lived a nice life. The Doge's palace is our version of the White House. Some of the rooms for the Doge's personal use featured huge marble fireplaces -- some that were made in the 1500s. The Palazzo Ducale AKA the Doge's Palace was my favorite tour. It has multiple rooms for the Doge's use and also court rooms for administering law and order. One of the rooms for the nobles to gather was the largest room in Europe at the time and features the longest canvas painting in the world. Prisoners saw this on the way to a cell. The Doge's Palace is also connected to the prison via the famous Bridge of Sighs. Back in those days they would be convicted in one of the court rooms, then whisked away to the prison...