District of Dorsoduro and other Venice, Italy Things to Do Tips

The six districts into which Venice is divided are called sestieri; three per side of the Grand Canal (Dorsoduro, Santa Croce and San Polo to the left and Castello, San Marco and Cannaregio to the right). We stayed in the sestiere of Dorsoduro.

The area between the Accademia and San Trovaso is Venice?s most elegant and artistry quarter, home to many writers and artists. Some of the finest domestic architecture in Venice is concentrated here. The reason is simple - there were not many places among the lagoon's mud-banks where Venice's early settlers could be confident that their dwellings wouldn't slither down into the water, but with Dorsoduro they were on relatively solid ground (the sestiere's name means "hard back").

During the day the paintings of Dorsoduro's art galleries and religious institutions that draw most visitors across the Ponte dell' Accademia. The Gallerie dell'Accademia, is the area's number one destination, and figures on most itineraries as the place to make for when the Piazza San Marco sights have been done.

The huge church of Santa Maria della Salute is the most beautiful church in Venice.

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We rented an apartment near the San Trovaso campo, along the Rio Ognissanti. The area around the square is famous due to the gondola yard and the beautiful church. The gondola workshop is on the corner of the Rio Ognissanti and Rio di San Trovaso This picturesque squero is one of the remaining gondola yards in Venice. And now let?s visit the church. There was no saint Trovaso ? the Venetians merged the names of Saint Gervasio and Saint Protasio, two locally popular but historically questinable martyr saints. Since its 10th century foundation the church has had a turbulent history, falling down once, and twice being destroyed by fire; this is the fourth incarnation, built in 1584?1657. Venetian folklore has it that this church was the only neutral ground between the Nicolotti and the Castellani, the two factions in to which the working-class citizens of the city were divided. The former, coming from the west and north of the city, were named after the church of San Nicol? dei Mendicoli, the latter, from the district of Dorsoduro, San Marco and Castello, took their name from San Pietro di Castello.
We visited the church several times and found inside has a pair of small fine paintings by Tintoretto: The Temptation of St Anthony the Abbot and The Last Supper in the chapel to the left of the Altar. In my opinion the most interesting painting in the church is ?St Crysogonus on Horseback? by Michele Giambono (c.1450). You will find the painting in the chapel at ninety degrees to the first one. The two large pictures on each side of the choir, The Adoration of the Magi and The Expulsion from the Temple, were begun by Tintoretto at the very end of his life. In the right transept, in the Clary Chapel (next to the south door) you'll find a marble altar-front carved with angels (1470).
Beyond the church, along the Rio di San Trovaso there are some fine Gothic and Renaissance palaces used today as a university buildings.

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The vast Campo Santa Margherita, ringed by houses that date back as far as the 14th century, is the heart of Dorsoduro. In the morning you will find here daily market. Students from the nearby university hang out in the square's bars and caf?s.

The church that gives the campo its name was closed in 1810 and is now a university auditorium. You will notice the dragons in the decorative stonework on the former church. As the legend goes, Saint Margaret emerged unscathed after the dragon that had swallowed her exploded. A miraculous escape from the dragon?s guts makes her the patron saint of pregnant women.

If you have enough time than look around you will see the dragon features on the campanile. Saint Margaret also stands on the beast between the windows of a house at the northern end of the square.

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The Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) is the true heart of Venice and the city?s landmark. It is one of the two bridges in Italy that has the shops on it.

The current bridge was built in just three years, between 1588 and 1591. It remained the only way to cross the Grand Canal on foot until the Accademia Bridge was built in 1854. The architect, Antonio da Ponte ("Anthony of the Bridge,") competed against such famous designers as Michelangelo and Palladio for the contract.

The bridge has three walkways: two along the outer balustrades, and a wider central walkway leading between two rows of small shops that sell jewelry, linens, Murano glass, and other items for the tourist trade.

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