Palazzo Benedetti a Santa Sofia

History

The coat of arms on the facade is evidence the palace was built by the Benedetti family. Some from this family, known for warriors and bishops, were part of old aristocracy; they supposedly immigrated to Venice before the 13th century from Acre in the orient. In 1537 documents submitted to the council of the Savi, Alvise Benedetti, son of Domenico, notified that he resided here. Pietro Benedetti, counselor of the Sestiere of Cannaregio, lived here in 1622.

On June 8–9, 1658 while Pietro's son, Vincenzo was asleep in the palace, he was beset by robbers and murdered. Arrested for the crime were Giuseppe Righi, a merchant, Pietro a barber from Campo Sant'Angelo, Francesco Menegatti a sea-captain, Tomaso Carli, a friend of Righi, and Antonio and herbalist from Sant'Angelo, Simeone Maggiotto, and Girolamo Biriboccoli, both from Cannaregio, also a monk named Leone from the convent of San Giobbe, brother of the barber Pietro. They were all sentenced on by June 26, 1658, The first two were sentenced to be led on foot from the prison near the ducal palace, to the scene of the crime; there to have their right hands cut off, and with the detached hands hung around their neck, to be dragged behind horses to the site between the columns in the Piazetta where they would be branded three times with a flaming rod, and all the while forced to proclaim their wickedness aloud. It is not clear if they were then hung, since this was commonly also the site for executions. The third was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The others had fled Venice, and were forever banned from returning, but if apprehended would face the punishment of the first two. …