The Rough Guide to Venice and the Veneto

Venetian
palaces
Remarkable houses are to be seen all over Venice, as nearly
every parish (ie every island) had its pre-eminent families,
and each of these had its own palazzo. (Though not all could
afford new houses – by the late sixteenth century, around
half the patrician families were tenants.) Because it cuts
through so many parishes, and offers the best opportunities
for ostentation, the Canal Grande has the majority of the most
important surviving palaces.