Basilica of San Marco:... and other Venice, Italy General Tips

Favorite Thing: Basilica of San Marco: Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance are the principal reference points for the artistic development of Venice. The Byzantine style characterized the first centuries of the city. Marbles and columns arrived from the Middle East at the lagoon city, where projects for the construction of the first great buildings were directed by masters from the East and from Ravenna. The Basilica is a masterpiece of Romanesque-Byzantine style. The first patron saint of Venice was St. Teodoro. In 828 St. Mark the Evangelist substituted him when two merchants smuggled his mortal remains back from Alessandria, Egypt. St. Mark's remains were initially buried in a chapel; then a church was built which evolved into St. Mark's Basilica.


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Favorite Thing: Campanile di San Marco (campanile means 'bell tower') was constructed in the 10th century and received an overhaul in the 1500s after being damaged by an earthquake, giving it the profile that we see today. Inside the bell tower there are five large cast iron bells. Each bell has a name and a purpose; Marangona rang mornings and evenings at the beginning and end of the work day, Maleficio rang for capital executions, Nona rang at the 9th hour, Trottiera called magistrates to meetings in the Palazzo Ducale, and the bell of Pregadi called senators to the Palace.


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