Palazzo dei Camerlenghi (Camerlenghi Palace), Venice

The Camerlenghi Palace, located at the base of the Rialto Bridge, is a grand edifice that was completed in 1488 and later expanded in the 1520s. It served as the headquarters for several financial officials, including the Camerlenghi (from whom it takes its name), Consuls of the Traders, and Supra-Consuls of the Traders. The lower floor of the palace functioned as a jail for debtors who had defaulted on their obligations, strategically positioned near the bustling Rialto Bridge as a deterrent for onlookers, hence earning the name Fondamenta delle Prigioni ("Foundation of the Prisons") for the adjacent canalside area.

Due to a Venetian tradition where departing magistrates left religiously themed paintings and portraits in their former offices, the palace became home to a wealth of artworks. Some of these paintings conveyed civic virtues and social-political ideals; however, many were removed during the French occupation, and while some eventually returned to Venice, they found their place primarily in the Gallery of the Academy ("Gallerie dell'Accademia").

Today, the Camerlenghi Palace houses the regional main offices of the Italian Comptroller and Auditor General. The three-story palace gracefully follows the curve of the Grand Canal, featuring tall windows adorned with decorative friezes and false columns, although the once-present polychrome marble and porphyry slabs have been lost to time.