Marble Palace is situated between the Field of Mars and Palace Quay, slightly to the east from Winter Palace.The palace was built by Count Grigory Orlov, the favorite of Empress Catherine the Great and the most powerful Russian nobleman of the 1760s. Construction started in 1768 to designs by Antonio Rinaldi, who previously had helped decorate the grand palace at Caserta near Naples. The combination of sumptuous ornamentation with rigorously classicizing monumentality, as practiced by Rinaldi, may be attributed to his earlier work under Luigi Vanvitelli in Italy. Since marble was only discovered in Russia and exploited in the middle of the eighteenth century, the palace was unique for its day. Entry is through a courtyard charmingly topped by a small baroque tower and clock, which offsets the severity of the facade. The privacy of the courtyard allows to make different special welcome for the arriving guests, like brass orchestra to welcome the guests or the drummers, lined up on both sides, to welcome the guests. The Palace has the following rooms which can be used for function: 1. Marble Room: seated dinner for up to 50 – 80 persons, size 160 sq.m 2. White Hall: seated dinner for up to 260 pax with the size 630 sq.m. Recommended decorations: Classical ;no special decorations are required; Recommended entertainment: Classical style; Rental fee is valid till 23:30 Russian time. All extra hours are subject to charge and reconfirmation.