Best Sights of San Marco Walking Tour

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1 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 - Best Sights of San Marco Walking Tour San Marco is one of the six sestieri (neighborhoods) of Venice, set in the very heart of the city. It is known primarily as the home of the eponymous Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) and other notable locations, such as Saint Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace, Harry's Bar, the Palazzo Dandolo, San Moisè, the La Fenice theatre, the Palazzo Grassi and several churches. Once the seat of the Venetian government, the district is densely packed with many hotels, banks and expensive shops prompted, as of lately, by the influx of tourists. In large part, San Marco makes Venice what it is and, as such, demands exploration! Guide Location: Italy» Venice # of Attractions: 16 Tour Duration: 3 hour(s) Travel Distance: 4.1 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the ios app "Venice Map and Walks" on itunes App Store and the Android app "Venice Map and Walks" on Google Play. The apps provide GPS navigation to guide you from one tour stop to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Venice. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit gpsmycity.com for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) Piazza San Marco B) Doge's Palace C) Venice's Waterfront D) Giardinetti Reali E) Calle Vallaresso F) Parrocchia Di San Moise G) La Fenice H) Palazzo Bellavite I) Campo Santo Stefano J) Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti K) Palazzo Malipiero L) Campo San Samuele M) Palazzo Grassi N) Chiesa Cattolica Parrocchiale S.Stefano Protomartire O) Teamo Wine Bar P) Palazzo Grimani di San Luca Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 -

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4 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 - A) Piazza San Marco (must see) Piazza San Marco, is the principal square of Venice. It is one of the few great urban spaces in Europe where human voices prevail over the sounds of motorized traffic, which is confined to Venice's waterways. It is the only urban space called a piazza in Venice. As the central landmark and gathering place for Venice, Piazza San Marco is extremely popular with tourists, photographers, and pigeons. The Piazza originated in the 9th century as a small area in front of the original St Mark's Basilica. It was enlarged to its present size and shape in 1177, when the Rio Batario, which had bounded it to the west, and a dock, which had isolated the Doge's Palace from the square, were filled in. The rearrangement was for the meeting of Pope Alexander III and the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. Address: Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and MarkusMark. Sight description based on wikipedia B) Doge's Palace (must see) The Doge's Palace was the symbol and the heart of political life and administration throughout the history of the Republic of Venice. Since 1923 the Palace has been open as a museum to the public. After receiving the patent, Titian became an overseer of official work and was engaged to finish the work of Giovanni Bellini, in the Doge's Palace. Also he was hired by the dukes to paint their portraits and he finished 20 of them. You can admire the amazing work done by Titian throughout the Palace. Address: Piazzetta San Marco, Venice, Italy Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Nino Barbieri. Sight description based on wikipedia C) Venice's Waterfront Venice's Waterfront is a long, wonderful journey. Along the way, you'll see the Zaccaria and the Pieta waterbus platforms. It is a nice place to take a quiet walk and take in the open air. Zaccaria is an important stop for lots of boat lines. If you're lucky, you may see a boat like Croisi Europe's Michelangelo. Address: Sestriente San Marco, Venice, Italy Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 -

5 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 - Image Courtesy of Flickr and Ryan Raffa D) Giardinetti Reali Giardinetti Reali, located near the Piazza San Marco, numbers among the few green oases in Venice. The garden was established by an order of Napoleon in the early 19th century. This public garden has a variety of trees and flowers with narrow pathways and seats were you can spend a leisurely afternoon or evening. Address: Giardinetti Reali, Venice, Italy Image Courtesy of Flickr and ell brown E) Calle Vallaresso Calle Vallaresso is a street next to the Piazza San Marco where for centuries were situated gambling houses. Casanova was famous for his passion for money. He loved to spend money, and gambling was an easy way to get some. Gambling was for him a way of socializing, flirting and making new connections. Also, here, you will find the Ridotto theater that used to be a major gambling house during Casanova's time. Address: Calle Vallaresso, Venice, Italy Image Courtesy of Flickr and wilhei55 F) Parrocchia Di San Moise This church is dedicated to Moses, as the Venetians have a tradition of preferring the prophets of the Old Testament. No one knows exactly when it was built, but it is known that in the 9th century the edifice was reconstructed. The facade is astonishing, and the main mural painting inside - Mount Sinai with Moses receiving the Tablets - is a masterpiece made by Heinrich Meyring. Address: Campo San Moisè, Venice, Italy Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Godromil. Sight description based on wikipedia Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 -

6 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 - G) La Fenice (must see) Teatro La Fenice ("The Phoenix") is an opera house in Venice. It is one of the most famous theaters in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theaters. Since opening and being named La Fenice, it has twice burned and been rebuilt. La Fenice was rebuilt in 19th-century style on the basis of a design by architect Aldo Rossi and using still photographs from the opening scenes of Luchino Visconti's 1954 film Senso, which was filmed in the house, in order to obtain details of its design. It reopened on 14 December 2003 with an inaugural concert of Beethoven, Wagner, and Stravinsky. The first opera production was La traviata in November Address: Fondamenta Maria Callas, Venice, Italy Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Adriano. Sight description based on wikipedia H) Palazzo Bellavite Palazzo Bellavite is a 16th century palace located in Campo San Maurizio. Once it was a prestigious residence. Now it is a study center and an office complex. The place was home to the Venetian poet Giorgio Baffo. He was a good friend of the young Casanova and also a lover of Casanova's mother, Giovanna Farussi. Address: Campo San Maurizio, Venice, Italy Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Giovanni Dall'Orto I) Campo Santo Stefano Campo Santo Stefano was and is the favorite meeting-point of the Venetians. Many love affairs were born through walking up and down this square and many Venetians found themselves duped into courting stupendous ladies only to discover, when it was too late, that beneath the mask was just a common woman. This square once hosted bullfights, but nowadays it hosts outdoor fairs during Christmas and Carnevale seasons. Address: Campo Santo Stefano, Venice, Italy Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 -

7 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 - Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Giovanni Dall'Orto. Sight description based on wikipedia J) Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti (must see) Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti is a palace in Venice, not far from the Ponte dell'accademia and next to the Palazzo Barbaro on the Grand Canal of Venice. It was erected in In the nineteenth century it was internally modernised and externally enriched in Venetian Gothic style, with rich window framing, by a series of grand owners. The first neo-gothic improvements were made after 1840, when the young Archduke Frederick Ferdinand of Austria ( ) reassembled the property, the Palazzo Cavalli-Gussoni, which had become divided among heirs, and embarked on a complex project intended to give a more prominent Habsburg presence along the Grand Canal, as Austria-Hungary had been awarded the territories of Venice after the Napoleonic Wars. Since 1999 it has been the seat of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere e Arti and frequently houses cultural events. Address: Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti, Venice, Italy Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Andreas Praefcke. Sight description based on wikipedia K) Palazzo Malipiero Giacomo Casanova was born, in 1725, in a building adjacent to Palazzo Malipiero. From 1740 onwards, he lived in the Palazzo and became a confidant of Senator Alvise II Gasparo Malipiero. Here he started his first love affairs and had the opportunity to establish relations with Italy's most important people. After being caught, in flagrante delicto, with a mistress of Alvise II, he was expelled from Venice. Address: Campo San Samuele, Venice, Italy Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Gvf Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 -

8 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 8 - L) Campo San Samuele Campo San Samuele is a square located on the bank of Grand Canal. The square is home to some amazing palaces of great historical, architectural and cultural importance for Venice, such as the Palazzo Malipiero and the Palazzo Grassi, to name just two. Both palaces were homes of the greatest Venetian lover of all times, Giacomo Casanova. In the center of the square is located the Chiesa di San Samuele, this is the church where Casanova was baptized. Address: Campo San Samuele, Venice, Iatly Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Gvf. Sight description based on wikipedia M) Palazzo Grassi (must see) Palazzo Grassi (also known as the Palazzo Grassi-Stucky) is an edifice in the Venetian Classical style located on the Grand Canal of Venice. It was designed by Giorgio Massari, and the building was completed between 1748 and The latecomer among the palaces on the Grand Canal of Venice, Palazzo Grassi has an academic classical style that is in contrast to the surrounding Byzantine Romanesque and Baroque Venetian palazzi. It has a formal palace façade, constructed in white marble, and lacking the lower mercantile openings typical of many Venetian patrician palaces. The Grassi family sold the palazzo in 1840, with ownership that followed passing through many different individuals. The Palazzo was purchased by the Fiat Group in 1983, under the late chairman Gianni Agnelli, and it underwent a complete restoration overseen by Count Antonio Foscari Widmann Rezzonico, the current owner of Villa Foscari. The group's aim was to transform Palazzo Grassi into an exhibition hall for the visual arts. It continues to be used as an art gallery today. Between 1984 and 1990, Pontus Hultén was in charge of the art museum which also contains a 600 seat outdoor theatre. Since 2006, the palace has been owned by the French entrepreneur François Pinault who exhibits his personal art collection there. It was also where Pinault's son Francois-Henri met actress Salma Hayek and it served as the location for their wedding vow renewal. Operation Hours: Wednesday - Monday: 10 am - 7 pm. Address: Campo San Samuele, Venice 30124, Italy Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Lourdes Cardenal. Sight description based on wikipedia Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 8 -

9 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 9 - N) Chiesa Cattolica Parrocchiale S.Stefano Protomartire This is one of the largest churches in Venice and is situated in the northern part of the city. The edifice was built in the 13th century, rebuilt in the 14th and redecorated partially in the 15th. Many years of construction, reconstruction and redecoration show us today a magnificent, wonderful architectural gem with painting and design to match. The church is the resting place for a few famous persons, such as: Francesco Morosini, Doge Andrea Contarini and others. Address: Sestiere San Marco, 3825, Venice, Italy Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and claytron. Sight description based on wikipedia O) Teamo Wine Bar Only the name of this wine bar would make you love it at first sight. Te Amo in translation means I Love You. It is a very cozy, warm and not very crowded place. The wine here is sold by the bottle too, of course. It is possible to have your wine sent directly to the hotel, so no unfortunate cases could ruin your goods. Address: Sestiere San Marco, 3795, Venice, Italy Image Courtesy of Flickr and Zach Heller Photography P) Palazzo Grimani di San Luca (must see) The Palazzo Grimani di San Luca is a Renaissance building in Venice. It is located on the Rio di San Luca channel of the city, at the point in which it flows into the Canal Grande. The palace was built in the mid-16th century for procurator Gerolamo Grimani by architect Michele Sanmicheli, and completed after his death by Gian Giacomo de' Grigi, known as "il Bergamasco". The façade has three sectors with Corinthian columns, also inspired to the Roman architecture, in particular to the triumphal arch. The residence of the patrician Grimani family until 1806, Palazzo Grimani is currently the seat of the Venice' Appeal Court. Address: Palazzo Grimani di San Luca, Venice, Italy Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Wknight94. Sight description based on wikipedia Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 9 -