Scala dei Giganti

The Scala dei Giganti (Giant's Staircase) in the courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale was designed by Antonio Rizzo. The structure is dressed with marble and decorated with bas-relief in full Renaissance style. The name comes from the two huge stone statues of Mars and Neptune carved by Jacopo Sansovino and set on the upper parapet in 1567. The statues symbolize the Republic's authority over land and sea; it was here that the Doge's crowning took place.