Palazzo Testa

The Palazzo Testa in Venice's Sestiere Cannaregio overlooks the canal of the same name and dates from the 15th century. Its late Gothic façade has two full stories plus a mezzanine. The main floor stands out for its fine windows with ogee arches and trefoils, framed by marble blocks. A central four-light window carries a 15th-century balcony resting on lion heads. The balustrade is decorated with Gothic arches, marzocchi (heraldic lions), and pinecones. The mezzanine has rectangular windows with delicate frames of Istrian limestone. Today the building, which has been owned by the Veneto Region since 1988, houses two technical institutes.