Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca' d'Oro

This guide to the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca' d'Oro in Venice opens with the ballerina Maria Taglioni, gifted the palace in 1846, stripping it of its marble staircases and carved balconies to raise cash. It follows Baron Giorgio Franchetti, who bought the half-wrecked house in 1894 and spent decades tracking down what she had sold off, piece by piece, including a red Verona marble wellhead he set back into the courtyard. Look for that wellhead as you step into the courtyard.