Ala Napoleonica – Napoleonic Wing and other Venice, Italy Things to Do Tips

A continuation of the Procuratie Vecchie, on the sit of the old church of San Geminiano (demolished in 1807), is the so called Ala Napoleonica, built by the French emperor as an enormous ballroom. The ala repeats the two orders of columns of the Procuratie Nuove (to the left) which Scamozzi built in 1584.

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Address: Piazza San Marco

The Bridge of Sighs was constructed between 1600 and 1603 and is made from white Istrian Stones. It was built to connect the Doge's prisons, or Prigioni, with the inquisitor's rooms in the main palace. The bridge crosses the Rio di Palazzo.

The designer Antoni Contino was the nephew of Antonio da Ponte, the man who designed the Rialto Bridge.

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Directions: Located just off the side of Saint Mark's Plaza

In front of the Basilica is St. Marks Campanile or as the locals call it "Master of the house". The tower is 97 metres high and on top is a golden statue of the Archangel Gabriel. The statue is 3 metres high and has big wings that, when pushed by the wind, make it rotate. For the Venetians, when the angel is facing the Basilica, it is a sign that there will be high water.

Originally the site of a lookout tower from the 9th century, it has gone through various guises until its present style around 1511-3. In 1902 the tower collapsed and it was decided to rebuild as it was, and by 1912 the angel was back on top.

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Address: Piazza San Marco

The tower was built by Codussi between 1496 and 1499 and for a decade or so the clock tower stood alone, then four supporting bays were added (two to each side of the larger central tower). In 1755, architect Giorgio Massari brought the side wings over the terraces and added balustrades, while eight columns were added at ground level

The clock (alternatively known as St Mark's Clock Tower or the Moors' Clock Tower) displays the time of day, the dominant sign of Zodiac and the current phase of the moon.

So reliable is the clock, that in 1858 it was made the official timekeeper of Venice - to which every other clock should be set.

Guided tours in English: at 09.00, 10.00 and 11.00 AM on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and at 13.00, 14.00 and 15.00 PM on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

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Address: Piazza San Marco

The first Ducal Palace, or palace for the Doge was the seat of the government of Venice for centuries. As well as being the home of the Doge (the elected ruler of Venice) it was the venue for its law courts, its civil administration and bureaucracy and — until its relocation across the Bridge of Sighs — the city jail.

The present palace was built mainly in the 14th century, and the façade overlooking the Piazzetta mostly dates from the first half of the 15th century.

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Address: Piazette San Marcos

The first Rialto Bridge was called “della Moneta”. The original was a pontoon bridge, the next a wooden structure was destroyed during the uprisings in the plot of Bejamonte Tiepolo. The next bridge collapsed in 1444 and was replaced by one, which included a drawbridge and shops. When this also showed signs of instability, it was rebuilt in stone. The bridge was completed in 1592, has a span of 28 metres.

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The fifty round arches which support the two tiers of loggias of the Procuratie Vecchie were built between the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century following a fire which destroyed the original structure designed to house the offices and apartments of the procurators.

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Address: Piazza San Marco

St Mark's Basilica is the most famous of Venice’s churches and lies on St Mark’s Square next to the Palace of the Doges. Since 1807 it has been the seat of the Patriarch of Venice, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice.

The Basilica was built over several centuries; the first church was consecrated in 832 and has since been frequently transformed and enriched with precious treasures, often from the Far East. The architecture is a mixture of Byzantine, Roman and Venetian.

email biblioteca.proc@atriarcatovenezia.it

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Phone: +39 41 2708311
Address: Piazza San Marco
Website: www.basilicasanmarco.it

Vittorio Emanuele 11, born 1820 was the first king of the united Italy.

The monument was sculpted in bronze by Ettore Ferrari in 1887, and illustrates the ripping off of the chains of Austrian dominance. It depicts Vittorio entering Venice, at last freed from the Austrian rule, on November 7, 1866 on horseback on a stone plinth.

Below to the right is the crossed shield of the House of Savoy to the left the shield of Rome.
To the rear shows Venice in chains after the defeat in the 1848-49 Revolution. At her side, the Lion of Saint Mark in chains. The front of the plinth shows the personification of freed Venice beside the Lion of Saint Mark.

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Address: Riva degli Schiavoni