The Doge's Palace, defined as a masterpiece of Gothic art, is the result of a grandiose layering of construction and ornamental elements. The building is made up of three large buildings that have incorporated and unified previous constructions:
- the wing facing the San Marco basin, which contains the main council chamber (1300) - the wing facing the square, with the ballot room (1400)
- the Renaissance wing, with the Doge's residence and many government offices (1483-1565)
The current entrance reserved for visitors is the so-called "porta del frumento" (door of wheat), so called because ”l'ufficio delle biade” (The fodder office), used for the licencing of grain fodder was located next to it and which opens under the portico of the 14th-century facade that overlooks the San Marco Basin.