Piazza San Marco
Throughout its long history the Piazza San Marco has witnessed pageants, processions, political activities and countless Carnival festivities. The eastern end of the piazza is dominated by the Basilica and the Doge's Palace. In addition to these magnificent buildings there is plenty of space in which there are stalls, shops in the open and in the archways of the Procuratie and open air entertainers.

The Basilica

Mosaics

Clothing the domes, walls and floor of the basilica are over 4,000 sq. metres of gleaming golden mosaics. The earliest, dating from the 12th Century, were the work of mosaicists from the East. Their techniques were adopted by Venetian craftsmen who gradually took over the decoration, combining Byzantine inspiration with Western influences.

During the 16th Century, sketches and cartoons by Tintoretto, Titian, Veronese, and other leading artists were reproduced in mosaic. The iconographical scheme depicts stories from the Testaments.

Among the finest mosaics in the Basilica are those decorating the 13th Century central Dome of the Ascension and the 12th Century Dome of the Pentecost over the Nave. The pavimento, or basilica floor, spreads out like an undulating Turkish carpet. Mosaics, made of marble, porphyry and glass are used to create complex and colourful geometric patterns and beautiful scenes of beasts and birds. Some of these scenes are allegorical. The one in the left transept of two cocks carrying a fox on a stick was designed to symbolise cunning vanquished by vigilance.

The 13th Century mosaics decorating the cupolas, vaults and lunettes of the atrium are amongst the finest in the basilica. The scenes depict Old Testament stories, starting at the southern end with the Genesis Cupola (showing 26 detailed episodes of the Creation), to the stories of Joseph and of Moses in the domes at the north end. The figures of saints on either side of the main doorway date from the 11th Century and are among the earliest mosaics in the church. Just in front of the central doorway there is a lozenge of porphyry to mark the spot where the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa was obliged to make peace with Pope Alexander III in 1177. A precarious stairway from the atrium leads up to the Loggia dei Cavalli. The gallery gives a splendid view into the basilica, whilst from the exterior gallery one can survey not only the Piazza but also the four gilded bronze horses (liberated from the top of the Hippodrome in Constantinople) on the basilica's facade.

Sanctuary and Pala D'Oro

Beyond the Chapel of St Clement is the Pala D'Oro. This jewel-spangled altarpiece situated behind the high altar consists of 250 enamel paintings on gold foil, enclosed within a gilded silver Gothic frame. Originally commissioned in Byzantium in 976, the altarpiece was embellished over the centuries.

The Iconostasis, the screen dividing the nave from the chancel, is adorned with marble Gothic statues of the Virgin and Apostles, and was carved in 1394 by the Dalle Masegne brothers.

Above the high altar the imposing green marble baldacchino is supported by finely carved alabaster columns featuring scenes from the New Testament.

Baptistry and Chapels

The Baptistry was added in the 14th Century by Doge Andrea Dandolo who is buried here. Under his direction the Baptistry was decorated with outstanding mosaics depicting scenes from the lives of Christ and John the Baptist. Sansovino who designed the font, is buried by the altar.

The adjoining Zen Chapel originally formed part of the atrium. It became a funeral chapel for Cardinal Zen in 1504 in return for his bequest to the State.

In the left transept of the basilica is the Chapel of St Isidore and was also built by Dandolo. Mosaics in the barrel vault ceiling tell the tale of the saint, whose body was stolen from the island of Chios and transported to Venice in 1125.

To the left of the Chapel of St Isidore is the Mascoli Chapel, used in the early 17th Century by the confraternity of Mascoli (men), is decorated with scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. The altarpiece has statues depicting the Virgin and Child between St Mark and St John. The third chapel in the left transept is home to the icon of the Madonna of Nicopeia. Looted in 1204, she was formerly carried into battle at the head of the Byzantine Army.

Treasury

The Treasury is believed to have inherited its thick walls from a 9th Century tower of the Doge's Palace. The Treasury contains many examples of Byzantine silver, gold and glasswork along with chalices, goblets, reliquaries, and icons.

The Doge's Palace

Courtyard

The courtyard is reached via a vaulted passage from the Porta della Carta. At the top of the Giant's Staircase, which rises to the first floor, new Doges were crowned with the zogia or dogal cap.

Scala D'Oro and State Apartments

The sumptuous Scala D'Oro takes its name from the elaborate gilt stucco vault by Alessandro Vittoria.

The Doge's private apartments on the first floor were built after the fire of 1483. The lavish ceiling and the colossal carved chimney pieces in some of the rooms give an idea of the Doge's lifestyle. The most ornate is the Sala degli Scarlatti, with a richly carved gilt ceiling, a fireplace designed by Antonio and Tullio Lombardo and a relief by Pietro Lombardo of Doge Leonardo Loredan at the feet of the Virgin. The Sala dello Scudo, or map room contains maps and charts. The picture gallery further on contains works by Vittore Carpaccio and Giovanni Bellini, and some incongruous wooden demoniac panels by Hieronymous Bosch.

Sala Delle Quattro Porte To Sala Del Senato

The second flight of the Scala D'Oro leads to the third floor and its council chambers.

The first room, the Sala delle Quattro Porte, was completely rebuilt after the fire of 1574. Its ceiling designed by Andrea Palladio and frescoed by Tintoretto.

The next room, the Anticollegio, was the waiting room. The end walls are decorated with mythological scenes by Tintoretto : 'Vulcan's Forge', 'Mercury and the Graces', 'Bacchus and Ariadne and Minerva Dismissing Mars', all painted in 1578. Veronese's masterly 'Rape of Europa', opposite the window is one of the most eye catching works in the palace.

Off the Anticollegio, the Sala del Collegio was the hall where the Doge and his counsellors met to receive ambassadors and discuss matters of State. Embellishing the magnificent ceiling are 11 paintings by Veronese, of which the most notable is 'Justice and Peace Offering Sword, Scales and Olive Branch to Venice'.

It was in the next room, the Sala del Senato, that the Doge would sit with some 200 senators to discuss matters such as foreign policy or nominations of ambassadors. The wall and ceiling paintings by pupils of Tintoretto or the master himself, are further propaganda for the Republic.

Sala del Consiglio Dei Dieci to the Armeria

Sala del Consiglio dei Dieci was where the awesomely powerful Council of Ten sat. Founded in 1310 to investigate and prosecute crimes against the State. The ceiling contained paintings by Veronese, including 'Age and Youth' and 'Juno Offering the Ducal Crown to Venice'.

In the next room, the Sala della Bussola, offenders awaited their fate in front of the Council of Ten. The room's bocca di leone (lion's mouth) used to post secret denunciations, was just one of the several within the palace. The wooden door here leads to the rooms of the Heads of the Ten, the State Inquisitors' Room and thence to the torture chamber and prisons.

Next door to the Capi dei Dieci offices is the armoury, one of the finest stocked in Europe thanks to the bequests of European Monarchs.

Sala del Maggior Consiglio

Another staircase, the Scala dei Censori, leads down to the second floor, along the hallway and past the Sala del Guariento with fresco fragments of 'The Coronation of the Virgin' by Guariento. From the liago, or veranda, where Antonio Rizzo's marble statues of Adam and Eve are displayed, you pass into the magnificent Sala dei Maggior Consiglio, or Hall of the Great Council.

A chamber of monumental proportions, it was here that the Great Council convened to vote on constitutional questions, to pass laws and elect top officials of the Republic. The hall was also used for State banquets. When Henry III of France paid a royal visit, 3000 guests were entertained in this spectacular room.

By the mid 16th Century the Great Council had around 2000 members. Any Venetian of high birth over 25 years was entitled to a seat with the exception of those married to a commoner. From 1646, by which time the Turkish Wars had depleted state coffers, nobility from the terra firma or those from merchant or professional classes with 100,000 Ducats to spare could purchase their way in.

Tintoretto's huge work called 'Paradise' occupies the eastern wall, measuring 25 feet by 81 feet it is one of the largest paintings in the world. For a man in his late seventies, albeit helped by his son, it is a remarkably vigorous composition.

The ceiling of the hall, is decorated with panels glorifying the Republic. One of the finest is Veronese's 'Apotheosis of Venice'. A frieze along the walls illustrates 76 Doges by Tintoretto's pupils. The portrait covered by a curtain is Marin Falier, beheaded in 1355. The other 42 Doges are portrayed in the Sala dello Scrutinio, where new Doges were nominated.

Prisons

From the Sala del Maggior Consiglio a series of passageways and stairways leads to the Bridge of Sighs which links the palace to what were known as the New Prisons built between 1556 and 1595.

Situated at the top of the palace, just below the leaded roof, are the piombi cells. These cells are hardly inviting but prisoners here were far more comfortable than those who were left to fester in the pozzi.

The pozzi were dank dungeons at ground level. The windowless cells of these ancient prisons are still covered with the graffiti of convicts.

In the prison is the office of the Avogaria, where the state prosecutors (avogadori) prepared the trials for State cases.

Campanile
From the top of St Mark's campanile, high above the Piazza, visitors can enjoy sublime views of the city, the lagoon and, visibility permitting the Alps. It was from this point that Galileo Galilei demonstrated his telescope to Doge Leonardo Dona in 1609. To do so he would have had to climb the internal ramp. The first tower, completed in 1173, was built as an aid for navigators in the lagoon. It took on a less benevolent role in the Middle Ages as the support for a torture cage where offenders were imprisoned and in some cases left to die. The tower's present appearance dates from the early 16th Century when it was restored by Bartolomeo Bon after an earthquake.

The tower stands 323 feet high at the spire which is topped by a golden weather vane designed by the architect himself. The Campanile houses five bells each having their role to play in the Republic :

Marangona tolled the start and end of each working day.

Malefico warned of an execution.

Nona rang out at noon.

Mezza Terza summoned the senators to the Doge's Palace.

Trottiera announced a session of the Great Council.

At the foot of the Campanile is the Loggetta built by Jacopo Sansovino. Its Classical sculptures in white marble depict the glory of the Republic. Set into the white marble of the Loggetta are reliefs of red marble from Verona depicting Justice representing Venice, Jupiter as Crete and Venus as Cyprus.

Torre dell'Orologio
Located at the Basilica end of the Procuratie Vecchia is a richly decorated Renaissance clock tower standing over an archway leading to the Mercerie. It was built in the late 15th Century, and the central section is thought to have been designed by Mauro Coducci. Displaying the phases of the moon and the zodiac, the gilt and blue enamel clock was originally designed with seafarers in mind.
A story was spread by scandalmongers that once the clock was complete, the two inventors of the complex clockwork mechanism had their eyes gouged out to prevent a replica being created.
During Ascension Week crowds gather on the hour to watch the figures of the Magi emerge from side doors to pay their respects to the Virgin and the Child, whose figures are set in the niche above the clock. On the upper level, the winged lion of St Mark stands against a star-spangled blue backdrop. At the very top the two huge bronze figures known as the Mori, or Moors, because of their dark patina, strike the bell on the hour.

Libreria Sansoviniana
Praised by Andrea Palladio as the finest building since antiquity, the library was designed in the Classical style by the Tuscan architect, Jacopo Sansovino. A graceful building surmounted by a procession of statues of mythological gods. During construction (1537 to 1588) the vaulting collapsed. Sansovino was blamed and imprisoned. He was freed only after appeals from eminent acquaintances. The library itself is located on the end of the Procuratie Nuove across the Piazetta from the Doge's Palace.

Museo Archeologico
Located in rooms in both the Procuratie Nuove and the Libreria Sansoviniana, the museum provides a quiet retreat from the bustle of San Marco. The collection owes its existence to the generosity of Domenico Grimani, the son of Doge Antonio Grimani, who bequeathed all of his Greek, Roman and earlier sculpture, together with his library, to the State in 1523.

Columns of San Marco and San Teodoro
Along with the bounty from Constantinople came the two huge granite columns which now tower above the Piazetta. These were said to have been erected in 1172 by the engineer Nicolo Barattieri, architect of the very first Rialto Bridge. For his efforts he was granted the right to set up gambling tables between the columns. A more gruesome spectacle on the same spot was the execution of criminals, which takes place here. Superstitious Venetians will not walk between the columns.
The western column is crowned by a marble statue of St Theodore, who was the patron saint of Venice before Saint Mark's relics were smuggled out of Egypt.
The second column is surmounted by a huge bronze of the Lion of Saint Mark. Its origin remains a mystery, though it is thought to be a Chinese chimera with wings added to make it look like a Venetian lion.

Bacino Orseolo
Located behind the Procuratie Vecchia, this is one o the main mooring areas for the gondolas. The basin is named after Doge Pietro Orseolo who established a hospice for pilgrims here in 977.

West of the Piazza
West of the huge expanse of the ever crowded Piazza San Marco there is a labyrinth of alleys to explore. At the centre of this part of the siestiere is Campo San Fantin. Nearby is the Ateneo Veneto, formerly a scuola whose members had the unenviable role of escorting prisoners to the scaffold. The narrow streets around these sights have some wonderfully exotic little shops, while the more recent Calle Larga XXII Marzo further south boasts more expensive clothing shops.

The Ridotto
Located in the Calle del Ridotto, the Ridotto is an attempt by the Venetian authorities to crack down on the gambling craze that swept through the city in the 17th Century. The State gave Marco Dandolo permission to turn one of his smaller palaces (opposite Palazzo Giustinian) into a public gambling house, the first in Europe.
In 1638 the house opened with the proviso that players came disguised in a mask.
The Ridotto is the ruin of many Venetians.

San Moise
Located on the Campo San Moise, off the Salizzada San Moise, the San Moise is one of the Venetian churches people love to hate. Its exterior is covered with statues, busts and swags and is currently under construction.

Scuola degli Albanesi (Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo)
Tucked away in a maze of alleyways, the Scuola/Palazzo is best known for its graceful external stairway. The word Bovolo in the Venetian dialect means 'snail shell', appropriate to the spiral shape of the Lombardesque stairway. The Contarini's who had the original palace built in the 15th Century, were a learned Venetian family known as 'the philosophers'.
The family turned the palazzo into a school and community centre for the Albanian population of the city.

Santa Maria Zobenigo
Named after the Jubanico family who are said to have founded it in the 9th Century, this church is also referred to as 'del Giglio' ('of the lily'). It is located off the Campo Santa Maria del Giglio. An exuberant Baroque exterior is currently being added to the facade financed by the Barbaro family to glorify their naval and diplomatic achievements. Inside there are many paintings including 'The Sacred Family' by Reubens and Tintoretto's Evangelist paintings

Campo Santo Stefano
This Campo is one of the most spacious in the city. Bullfights are staged here as well as balls and Carnival festivities. At the southern end of the Campo is the large although austere Palazzo Pisani and across the Campiello Pisani and the Campo S.Stefano is the Palazzo Loredan. This Palazzo is one of several owned by the Loredan family and this palazzo's owner is a keen 'Renaissance Man' indulging in Science and the Arts. The Palazzo is becoming one of the centres of of study in these fields in Venice.

Santo Stefano
This church is one of the most deconsecrated churches in Venice due to the number of times blood has been spilt within its walls. Built in the 14th Century and then radically altered in the 15th, the church has a notable carved portal by Bartolomeo Bon and a campanile which has a typical Venetian tilt. The interior has a splendid 'ship's keel' ceiling, carved tie beams and tall pillars of Veronese marble.
The most notable works of art, including some paintings by Tintoretto, are housed in the damp sacristy.

Cemetery of Santo Stefano
Walled off and under constant surveillance by the Scuole di Mercere, the cemetery is the largest source of perdo vis in Western Europe. The cemetery was one of the largest burial sites during the plague outbreak that slew over a third of the population. The cemetery was paved over but the perdo vis emanating from the ground 'corroded' the pavement. After these stone slabs were rendered into rubble the vis began to eat into the surrounding buildings which fored them to be evacuated.
Currently the only occupant of the surrounding buildings is a lone mage who watches the cemetery. The mage is equipped with a talisman that allows instant contact with the heads of the scuole should anything happen. The concern is that this upwelling of perdo vis will be used by corrupted magi and enemies of the state.

San Salvatore
Located on the campo of the same name, the church of San Salvatore is a fine example of Venetian Renaissance architecture. If the main door is closed you can enter by the side entrance which is squeezed between shops on the Mercerie. The church was designed by Giorgio Spavento in the early 16th Century, and continued by Tullio Lombardo and Jacopo Sansovino. The pictorial highlight is Titian's 'Annunciation' over the third altar on the right. Nearby, Sansovino's monument to Doge Francesco Venier, is one of several Mannerist tombs in the church. On the high altar is Titian's 'Transfiguration of Christ'. The end of the right transept is dominated by a vast monument to Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus. The monument was executed by the sculptor Bernardino Contino in 1580 to 1584, the tomb shows the queen handing over her kingdom to the Doge.

Campo San Bartolomeo
Close to the Rialto, the square of San Bartolomeo bustles with life, particularly in the evening when many young Venetians make this their rendezvous.The Campo has a number of drinking establishments catering to all classes along with a number of fine restaurants.

Mercerie
Divide into the Merceria dell'Orologio, Merceria di San Zulian and Merceria di San Salvatore, this is, and always has been, a principal shopping thoroughfare. Linking Piazza San Marco with the Rialto, it is made from a string of narrow, bustling alleyways, lined by small shops and boutiques. The 17th Century English author, John Evelyn, described it as "the most delicious streete in the World for the sweetnesse of it ... tapisstry'd as it were, with Cloth of Gold, rich Damasks & other silk". He wrote of perfumers, apothecary shops and nightingales in cages.

At the southern end, the relief over the first archway on the left portrays the woman who accidentally stopped a revolt in 1310. She dropped a pestle out of the window killing the standard bearer of the rebel army. They retreated, and the woman was given a guarantee that her rent would never be raised.

San Zulian
Located on Campo San Zulian, San Zulian or San Guiliano in conventional Italian, provides a quiet refuge from the crowded Mercerie. Its interior is enriched with gilded woodwork, 16th and 17th Century paintings, and sculpture. The central panel of of the frescoed ceiling portrays 'The Apotheosis of St Julian', painted by Palma il Giovane and assistants in 1585. The 16th Century church facade was designed by Sansovino and financed by the rich and highly immodest physician, Tommaso Rangone. His bronze statue, surrounded by books, stands out against the white Istrian stone walls.

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