Ponte dei Pugni
One of several Ponte dei Pugni was located where Fondamenta Gheradini crosses over the Rio della San Barnaba. This is where the most famous fist fights took place. Spanning the peaceful Rio San Barnaba, the small bridge is distinguished by the two pairs of footprints set in white stone on the top of the bridge. These mark the starting positions for the fights which is traditionally took place between rival factions. There are no balustrades and contenders hurled each other straight into the canal. The fights were without rules and often the stiletti would come out if one side felt themselves to be losing.

Campo Santa Margherita
The sprawling square of Santa Margherita, lined with houses from the 14th and 15th Centuries, is the hub of western Dorsoduro. Market stalls, unusual curio shops and places to drink and eat attract a wide slice of the community. The fish stalls sell live eels and lobsters, the erborista an apothecary shop specialising in herbal remedies. The campo is most famous for its bakeries which are the best in Venice. The Scuola dei Varotai (of the tanners), the isolated building at the centre of the square has a faded relief of the Madonna della Misericordia protecting the tanners.

Santa Maria dei Carmini (or Carmini)
This church was built in the 14th Century but has undergone extensive alterations. The most prominent feature is the lofty campanile with its perilous tilt. The interior is large, sombre and richly decorated. The arches of the nave are adorned with gilded wooden statues and a series of paintings illustrate the history of the Carmelite Order. There are two interesting paintings in the church's side altars. Cima da Conegliano's 'Adoration of the Shepherds' is in the second altar on the right. In the second altar on the left is Lorenzo Lotto's 'St Nicholas of Bari with Saints Lucy and John the Baptist'. This demonstrates a combination of the artist's religious devotion, personal sensitivity and his love of nature. On the right hand side of this highly detailed, almost Dutch style landscape, it is possible to spot a tiny depiction of St George killing the dragon.

San Nicolo dei Mendicoli
Contrasting with the remote and rundown area around it, this church remains one of the most charming in Venice. Originally constructed in the 12th Century, it has been rebuilt extensively over the years; the little porch on the northern flank was added in the 15th Century. The floor of the church is a foot below the level of the canals and is prone to flooding. The interior is richly embellished, particularly the nave with its 16th Century gilded wood statues. On the upper walls is a series of paintings of the life of Christ by Alvise dal Friso and other pupils of Veronese.

San Sebastiano
This 16th Century church possesses one of the most colourful and homogeneous interiors in Venice. This is due to Veronese who from 1555 to 1560 and again in the 1570's was commissioned to decorate the sacristy ceiling, the nave ceiling, the frieze, the east end of the choir, the high altar, the doors of the organ panels and the chancel - in that order. The paintings which are typical of the artist are rich and radiant, with sumptuous costumes ad colours. Among the finest are the three ceiling paintings which tell the story of Esther, Queen of Xerxes I of Persia, who was brought about the deliverance of the Jewish people.
Appropriately, the artist is buried in the church by the organ.

The Zattere
Stretching along the southern part of the sestiere, the Zattere is the long quay side looking across to the island of Giudecca. From the 11th to 15th Centuries, the city held the salt monopoly for the region, and the quays' name may derive from the floating rafts (zattere) where cargo was offloaded. On a sunny day it is a pleasure to sit on the quay side and look across to the Church of the Redentore.

Squero di San Trovaso
The Tyrolean look to the gondola workshops here date from when the craftsmen came down to Venice from the Cadore area of the Veneto in the Alps.

San Trovaso (under construction)
The Church of Santi Gervasio e Protasio, which in the Venetian dialect is shortened to San Trovaso was started at the end of the 16th Century and is nearing completion. Unusually it has two identical facades, one overlooking a canal and the other a quiet square. The church stands on neutral ground between the parishes of the rival factions of the Castellani and Nicolotti families and rumour has it that this has necessitated the need for two identical entrances!

Santa Maria della Visitazione
Situated on the Zattere Algesuati this Renaissance church was built between 1494 and 1524 by the Order of the Gesuati. It has a fine wooden ceiling painted by 16th Century Umbrian and Tuscan artists. The exterior bocca di leone is one of several denunciation boxes in Dorsoduro. Perhaps it was sited here to remind the Jesuits who rules Venice?

Scuole di Mercere
Intended as a four storey palace, work on the building now occupied by the wizards was halted by the Doge in order to restrain the ambitious Leoni family. When the refugee sorcerers asked the Doge for permission in 1435 to found a college in his city the then Doge Francesco Foscari not only gave them the partly built palazzo (one floor had been completed), he agreed to provide additional funds to the wizards so they could finish the construction to the full four storeys.
This building is one of three owned by the wizards in Venice; the Doge granted them rent free access to the top floor of a warehouse in the Arsenale for the Verditian Artificers and the wizards bought an ancient fort from the State on the isle of Le Vignole, out in the lagoon, in order to keep some experiments safely clear of the city. Less grandly decorated than any of the Scuolae, wizards are looked down on because of this. The fact that it is more practical is neither here nor there. The bulk of magical theory is taught here, with some practical demonstrations being demonstrated in the Arsenale. The top floor of the building contains the library and the administrative offices. There is no residential areas within the this building and students lodge with their masters in the city.

Campiello Barbaro
East of the scuola, across the canal, is a small campiello, Campiello Barbaro. This enchanting little square is shaded by trees on one side and the wisteria clad walls of Ca'Dario. It is hard to believe the stories of bankruptcy, murder and suicide that have befallen the owners of this Grand Canal palace. The current owners are petitioning the wizards to investigate the residence much to the chagrin of the nearby Jesuits who have strong hatred of wizards stemming from an incident in Spain where they 'bumped heads' with the Order of the Holy Flame.

Santa Maria della Salute (under construction)
Started in 1630 this church is still under construction and is not destined to be finished until 1687. The church stands at the entrance to the Grand Canal and is hoped to become one of the most imposing structural landmarks in Venice. The church is being built in thanksgiving for the deliverance of the city from the plague of 1630. The church is being built by Baldassare Longhena who started it when 32 alas he is destined to die five years before the completion of the great church.

Dogana di Mare
This eastern promontory of the Dorsoduro provides a panorama which embraces the Riva degli Schiavoni, the island of San Giorgio Maggiore and the eastern section of Giudecca. The Dogana di Mare, built in the 15th Century, is recently renovated, replacing a tower that guarded the entrance to the Grand Canal, and as its name states it is a sea customs post. The post inspects the cargo of all ships coming into Venice. On the tower in the apex of the building two bronze Atlases support a golden ball with a weathervane figure of Fortuna on the top.

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