The
Palazzo di Venezia (formerly
Palace of St. Mark) is a
palazzo (palace) in central
Rome,
Italy, just north of the
Capitoline Hill. The original structure of this great architectural complex consisted of a modest medieval house intended as the residence of the cardinals appointed to the church of
San Marco. In 1469 it became a residential papal palace, having undergone a massive extension, and in 1564,
Pope Pius IV, to win the sympathies of the
Republic of Venice, gave the mansion to the ambassadors of
La Serenissima on condition that a part of the building should be kept as a residence for the cardinals—the Apartment Cibo—and that the
Venetian Republic should provide for the
building's maintenance and future restoration. The palazzo faces
Piazza Venezia and Via del Plebiscito. It currently houses the National Museum of the Palazzo Venezia.