 Francesco’s grandfather Andrea acquired the palazzo in 1919, where the family now live.When he moved in, the empty picture frames on the walls of the "portego" were filled with copies of family pictures, including a 15th-century map of the voyages of Alvise da Mosto, who discovered the Cape Verde islands off the west coast of Africa.When BBC Two decided to make a four-part series about the history of Venice, they contacted Francesco to be the host.