The palace consisted of two towers flanking a lower, central block and was used for entertaining illustrious guests of the Republic, including kings and diplomats.

The most recent restoration of Ca' Foscari and the adjacent Palazzo Giustinian was commissioned in 2004, aiming to fulfill the new requirements of safety and practicality.

In common with other palaces, Ca' Foscari's principal and most decorated facade and entrance faced the Grand Canal —- the city's main thoroughfare.

At Ca' Foscari, the tops of each column are decorated with carved quatrefoil patterns, whereas the Gothic capitals are adorned with foliage, animals and masks.

Above the Gothic window is a marble frieze with a helmet surmounted by a lion couchant representing the role of the doge as the captain of the republic.

At each side of the central helmet are two putti holding a shield symbolising the Foscari's coat of arms with the winged lion of Saint Mark, symbol of Venice.

The main features of these early palaces were two-storey arcades or loggias along the waterfront; on the ground floor was a portal for loading and unloading merchandise.

The portal often led into an entrance hall or "portico" used for business negotiations, with storerooms and offices on either side and a kitchen at the back.

The central loggia of these two principal floors are designed in a similar Venetian floral Gothic style to the better known arcade of the Doge's Palace.

In 1797, following the forced surrender of Venice and overthrow of the Republic by General Bonaparte, family blazons were abolished; consequently, they were hidden, taken down or, as at Ca' Foscari, covered with whitewash.

On that occasion Scarpa designed: The great hall dedicated to Mario Baratto (a professor of Italian literature and antifascist, who died in 1984) is situated on the second floor (the piano nobile) of the palace.

The room is used today for conferences, conventions, formal ceremonies, advanced training courses and important events of Ca’ Foscari University.

The painting recalls Pablo Picasso's and Juan Gris's artistic style and Georges Braque's emphasis on colors.

The painting portrays a series of allegorical figures: Mario De Luigi was a close friend of Carlo Scarpa; they both attended the Academy of Fine Arts of Venice and they worked together in the field of design and town planning; he was assistant of Arturo Martini at the Academy, then he started teaching scenography at University IUAV of Venice.