The 'Itinerari Segreti' (Secret Itineraries) is the only way to access the Doge's Palace's private apartments, hidden chancelleries, torture chambers, and the legendary rooftop prison from which Casanova made his audacious escape. An official, small-group experience unlike anything else in Venice.
What to expect
A museum guide leads your small group through a hidden door off the main tour route and up into the palace's secret bureaucratic heart. You'll walk the narrow passages connecting the Council of Ten's chambers to the torture room, then climb steep wooden stairs to the notorious lead-roofed prison where Casanova was held. The guide's storytelling is vivid and scholarly — this is history felt in the marrow. The tour takes approximately 75 minutes and concludes with free access to the main palace.
Good to know
Book directly on the Musei Civici Veneziani official website as far in advance as possible — Secret Itineraries tours run just a few times daily and sell out weeks ahead in peak season. Tours are conducted in English at set times (check the website for current schedule). The palace is a 5-minute walk from the San Marco vaporetto landing.