Piazza San Marco and Basilica di San Marco and other Venice, Italy Things to Do Tips

The St. Marks Square is the place where you will come sooner or later, when strolling around in the San Marco part of Venice. It's the most famous and important square of Venice, where all the great happenings in the history took place.

The square has a trapezoidal form of 175x82x56M. The pavement with the white strips is designed by Andrea Tirali in 1723. Around the square you find not only the very known Campanile, the Clocktower of St Mark and the Basilica of St Mark, but also the interesting Museum Correr and the Archaeological Museum.

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Address: San Marco

The Basilica di Santo Marco was originally built in 829 to hold the remains of Saint Mark the Evangelist, who became the patron of the city. The building burnt down in 927 and was rebuilt between 1043 and 1071 in same architectural forms it has still today.

Originally the church was built in a combination of Byzantine and Romanesque style, but also Gothic, Renaissance, and Moorish styles are added. In this way the basilica became a complex masterpiece.

The facade is almost 52 meters long. There are five entrance doors with great decorated arches above. The central entrance is the largest one. The architecture in combination with the marble decoration and the mosaics in the arches and portals make the facade of the basilica amazingly beautiful.

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Address: San Marco

The Campanile or bell tower of almost 100M high is situated at the corner of the Sansovino Library between the Piazza S.Marco and the Piazetta. It's possible to climb the tower for a spectacular view of Venice and the lagoon. The tower was built on old Roman foundations between 888 and 912. The tower collapsed on 14 July 1902, but was rebuilt in identical form. This rebuilding was completed in 1912.

The lagoon and Piazzo S. Marco are connected by the nice Piazzetta as a kind of atrium. At the piazetta are two columns of red granite. At top of the left column is the statue of St. Theodore, the first protector of the Venetians. At the top of the right column is the Lion of St Mark.

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Address: San Marco

The building of the Ducal Palace started in the 9th century. The palace was founded at the former Roman walls. The first building in Byzantine style was destroyed by a fire and several times reconstructed. Finally in 1340, the period of Gothic art, the palace got its present structure.

The great arches at the groundfloor form the base for the long and delicate loggia along the two sides of the building at the first floor.
The second floor has great windows and a central balcony.

The palace was the official residence of the Doges who ruled Venice from 697 to 1759.

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Address: San Marco

The Canal Grande is the main waterway through the centre of Venice. The canal is almost 3800M long and its width varies between 30M and 70M. The canal in its S-form follows the old riverbed and divides the heart of the city in two parts. Only at three places you can cross the Canal Grande by bridge. At other places you have to cross the canal by boat, the traghetto.

Along the Canal Grande are the most wonderful palazzo's. The best way to have a look at all those beautiful buildings is by taking the vaporetto, the waterbus. The vaporetto nr. 1 from the Piazzale Roma to Piazza Marco is the most slow one to have a good look and to see the entire canal in one ride.

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The present Rialto bridge is made of stone and was built between 1588 and 1591. It replaced the several collapsed wooden bridges, which spanned the Grand Canal since the 12th Century. Till 1854, when the second bridge, the Accademia Bridge, was built, the Rialto Bridge was the only way to cross the Grand Canal.

The Rialto Bridge is 48M long, 22M wide and 7.5M high. The bridge has three walkways, a central one, lined by shops and two at both sides along the water with balustrades. You can hardly miss this busy and scenic place, when strollling aorund in the San Marco part of Venice.

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Address: San Marco

The Bridge of the Scalzi is probably the first bridge over the Canal Grande you will see when arriving in Venice. This bridge is just in front of the railwaystation and not far from Piazzale Roma.

The new bridge is made of Istrian stone and replaced in 1933 the former iron bridge. The bridge is 40m long and 7m high. It was named after the order of Scalzi, the Bare-footed monks, whose monastery is just at the northern side of the bridge (left at the picture).

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Address: Between Cannaregio and Santa Croce

The beautiful church of Santa Maria di Nazareth or Church of the Scalzi, named after the barefooted Carmelite monks, is built between 1660 and 1689. The church is designed by B Longhena. The decorated facade, the work of G Sardi, is an example of Venetian baroque style, inspired by classical forms.

The interior of marble, guilded wood and sculptures is overwhelming. The ceiling is painted by Ettore Tito in 1934, replacing the in the World War II destroyed frescoe. In the church you can also find the tomb of the last Doge of Venice Lodovico Manin.

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Address: Cannaregio
Directions: Just east of the railwaystation

The Arsenale was once the largest shipyard in the world. At its peak in the 16th century there worked 16.000 people, the so-called Arsenalotti, building and repairing the huge Venetian ships. The Arsenale had one of the first assembly productionlines in the world, which could construct a galley very fast, even within a few hours.

Approaching the Arsenale along the canal, Rio dell' Arsenale, you have a great view at the twin towers, built in the 16th century. Nowadays the Arsenale is a military area with most parts closed for visitors. I could visit the Corderia, used as exhibitionhall during the Biennale.

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Address: Castello

The square and the entrance gate of the Arsenale are still the only remains of the glorious past. The imposing gate is built by A. Gambello in 1460 and is the first Renaissance building in Venice. The two stone lions guarding the entrance are stolen by commander A. Gambello from Pyraeus in Greece in 1687.

From the bridge in front of the entrance you can have a look at a part of the former shipyard. You can also take the vaporetto nr. 41 or 42 along the Arsenale to get a glimpse of the place.

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Address: Castello