St. Mark's Basilica and other Venice, Italy Things to Do Tips

That is one of the most impressive buildings I've ever seen in my whole life, looking fantastic both 'live' and in photos, in midday sun or in the evening dusk. I've said it already, it was the 'star' sight for me in Venice. Byzantine and Western styles were mixed to create this architectural jewel, built in the second half of 11th century AD as a place for St. Mark's tomb. Interior is just as mamzing and decorated as is the exterior, with rare kinds of marble, gold and mosaics all over it. Do not forget to admire the wonderful floor decor, dating back to the 12th century, and the Pala d'Oro, the altarpiece in gold, silver, precious stones and enamel.

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Directions: St. Mark's Square (you will notice it - I assure:)) )

A brilliant modern-art collection housed
in an unfinished palazzo, the former Venetian home of Peggy Guggenheim, who died in 1979.

In the tradition of her family, Peggy Guggenheim was a lifelong patron of contemporary painters and sculptors. As her private collection increased, she decided to find a larger showcase that New York's museum and selected Venice.

Today you can wander through the home and enjoy art in an informal and relaxed way.

Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock, Picasso (see his 1911 cubist The Poet), Duchamp, Chagall, Mondrian, Brancusi, Delvaux, and Dali, plus a garden of modern sculpture with Giacometti works. Temporary modern-art shows sometimes are presented during winter.

the new wing are a museum shop and a cafe,
overlooking the sculpture garden.

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San Marco Square is the focal point of any excursion to Venice. The amount of sights to see there exceeds even the most rosy expectations. It surpassed mine, anyway… Here’s just a snapshot of what you will see when you set foot on San Marco Square:

- Basilica of San Marco
- Campanile, the high bell tower
- The Palace of the Doges
- Archaeological Museum
- The Sansoviniana Library
- The Column of S. Marco
- The Treasury, where the money was coined
- The Florian Caffe, where many literary figures spent their time
- The Wing of Napoleon
- Correr Museum
- The Quadri Caffe
- Procuratie Vecchie, where the city’s authorities worked in 12th century
- The Clock Tower

And all that on a small plot of land! I shall certainly write more on all these subjects, but I guess it will take time…

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You can quickly tell that the Saint is, in fact, Saint Marco, because he’s always depicted with the lion. But, in this case, there’s just the lion :)) Which became, by the way, the true symbol of Venice.

In more ancient times this column signposted the principal entrance into the city of Venice. Which can be guessed, because it stands right next to the ‘Molo of S. Marco’, or the principal landing spot.

The column has only one drawback – it’s very tricky to photograph. Due to its height, it is quite difficult to get a good view of the lion:)))

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It might be difficult to believe this today, but in the 18th century the Rialto Bridge was the only one to connect the two banks of the Grand Canal. The bridge on this spot existed even in the year 1180, but that is not obviously the one we see today, because it has been reconstructed in various forms many times.

In fact, we can see how the fourth bridge built there looked, because it was depicted by Vittore Carpaccio in his ‘Guarigione dell’ossesso’ painting of year 1496 – today at the Gallery of the Academy.

In 1588 a bridge of stone was designed, to protect it against the risk of fires and to exclude the chance of its falling down. Antonio La Porta won the design competition overtaking Michaelangelo, Sansovino and Palladio. His is the present-day bridge, built in 50 years, measuring a single span of 48 meters and having 7.5 meters of height.

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Though it is a pricey trip, I rate it as ‘absolute must’ – just like Basilica of San Marco.

A tip: if you can book ahead, do join the ‘Secret Itineraries’ tour, as it is the only chance to see rooms like those of ‘The Council of the Three’ and get a notion of how the machinery of power in Venice really worked…

The Doges’ Palace became a seat of power as far back in time as the 9th century (it was transferred here from Rialto), though the predominantly Gothic building owes much of its structure and bricks to the building works carried out in 14th and 15th centuries.

It houses loads of architectural, historical, and artistic treasures, and if you want to explore it in at least some detail, I suggest that you allow at least 2 hours (which increases further if you add the ‘Secret Itineraries’ tour). And now on to the Palace exploration!

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The impressive Scala dei Giganti, or ‘The Giants’ Staircase’ is one of the most solemn and magnificent sights of the palace, answering to its definition as the seat of power. I saw it immediately as soon as I entered the inner courtyard.

Constructed in the 15th century by Sansovino (one does meet the name quite frequently in Venice), it was used for the most important ceremonies of the Serenissima Republic, like the coronation of the Doges.

The statues of Mars and Neptune at the higher end of the white-stone Staircase were – fittingly, I think - the traditional Venetian symbols of power.

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The Secret Itineraries tour is a guided walk taking you to parts of the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) that tourists can visit only with a licensed guide. You go to the secret rooms and to the doge's private apartments, also up into the attic and the Piombi prison, and through hidden passageways to the torture chambers. You see more of the way of life and workings of justice of Medieval Venice.

Some of the rooms are magnificent and others show the old working rooms, offices and cells of the Palace. You can get right up in to the roof area and see the way it is constructed.

There is only one tour a day with an English-speaking guide and this is available early morning but booking in advance should be made as the number of people a tour can take is very limited. Securing your place at least a week in advance should help. Though if you choose the peak of the tourist season, even that might not be enough. At other times during the day there are a limited number of tours though they are only in Italian.

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Born from the collection that Teodoro Correr donated to the city of Venice in year 1830, the museum was further enriched by the people who followed Correr’s noble example. You should certainly spend some time there – a couple of hours to explore everything should do, so I reckon. The ticket’s cumulative with the Palace of the Doges’ and some other sights.

Housed in the Neoclassical rooms of the Ala Napoleonica (or the palatial wing that Napoleon added to the buildings), the first part of the vast collection comprises, among others, statues and bas-reliefs by Antonio Canova, among which Dedalo e Icaro (1778-1779) – a classic ancient Greek story of a father and a son who tried to fly.

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More to come!

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