Columns in the Doge's palace in Venice are decorated with a pattern of leaves of the acanthus plant, a plant that grows widely in Italy and Sicily. From WIKIPEDIA: In Ancient Greek architecture acanthus ornament appears extensively in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders, and applied to friezes, dentils and other decorated areas.
Acanthus flowers. (Photo taken in Palermo, Sicily.)
Acanthus flowers and leaves. (Photo taken in Palermo, Sicily.)