House of Donà


Donà
Italian noble family
Arms of the Donà dalle Rose
Blazon: Argent, two bars Gules, in chief three roses barbed and seeded of the Second
Country Republic of Venice
Earlier spellingsDonato
Donatus
Donati
Etymologyfrom the diminutive of the masculine given name Donatus
Place of origin
Founded12th century
Titles
Style(s)Serene Highness
TraditionsRoman Catholicism
Motto
Candore ("Candour")
Cadet branches
  • dalle Rose
  • dalle Trezze (extinct)
  • many other minor now-extinct branches

The House of Donà is an old patrician family of Venice which produced three doges of Venice. The family has existed since at least the late twelfth century. Until the sixteenth century, the family were merchants. During that period, they bought land, which supported the family through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Around and throughout the nineteenth century, the family's wealth was significantly diminished due to the influences of the French Revolution and industrialisation.

The dalle Rose branch (the main branch) of the family, which produced two of the Donà doges of Venice, survives to this day. In the second half of the twentieth century, the Donà dalle Rose included a number of businesspeople, most notably the founders of the Costa Smeralda’s Porto Rotondo, brothers Luigi and Nicolò Donà dalle Rose.