The Saint Mark Basilica
St Mark must be one of the most
spectaculous places of
worship
in the world, setting the old maritime Republic of
Venice against its commercial activies. Decorated with
incredible quantity of robbed treasures, the major part
of the domes and vaults were sampled from the church of
Constantinople and established in 1094. The basilica is
famous for its gold mosaics, in particular for those
above the doors at the facade and for those inside of
the domes. The interior sparkles indeed: if you can look
at them without being amazed, besides the glittering of
the masaics you should admire the marble pavement of the
XII-th century.
Among the treasures of the basilica you will also find
Pala d'oro, gold coin, enamel and precious jewels. Le
Tesoro (treasure) contains the major part of the spoils
of the invasion into Constantinople in 1204, including
the crown of thorns reputed to be worn by Christ. On the
gallery above the principal entrance there is the copy
of splendid hopping horses, also taken from
Constantinople (the originals of bronze and gold are
inside). The bell-tower of the basilica dating from the
X-th century suddenly collapsed on July 14, 1902. It was
reconstructed during the follwing10 years, but with
brick surpluses.
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The Saint Mark Square
Napoleon called the Saint Mark Square 'la salle de
dessin la plus fine en Europe" (The finest hall of
painting of Europe). The visitors and the pigeons seem
to gather here during centuries without any other
apparent thing to do but to create a ceaseless cacophony
and commotion, prompted by a permanent festive
atmosphere emphasized by the "duel" between the
orchestras of the cafe Florian and Quadri, the clatter
of the bronze mooring ropes and the gong-bell of the
XV-th century of Torre dell' Orologio. Now when the
majority of the visitors arrive to Venice by train, the
magic symbolism of the Boat bus Piazzetta San Marco lost
its magnitude to a certain degree. The two columns of
the piazzetta support the emblems of patron saint of
the city: the winged lion of St Mark and the figure of
St Theodore. The St Mark Square is one of the lowest
parts of the city, that is why it is always the first to
be flooded when l'acqua Alta (high tide) arrives - a
magic view at night by the light
of the full moon!.
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Palazzo Ducale
The
Piazzetta San Marco was considered by Palazzo Ducale to
be the political core of the city during several
centuries. The gothic fantasy of rose and white
accomodated the doge, the numerous members of the
government and two prisons. Grandeur of the chambers of
doges situated on the ground floor becomes more and more
exquisite with every next one. On the first floor
you'll 
find
delle Quattro Porte ( conception of Palladio, painted by
Titian and Tintoretto), "l'Anticollegio" (four
Tintorettos and the violin from Sala de Veronese
d'Europa ), Sala del Collegio (always Veronese and
Tintorettos) ; it leads to a grand Sala del Maggiore
Consiglio (there you'll find "Le Paradiso" by
Tintoretto, and one of the most famous painting in oil
in the world L'Apotheose" by Veronese de Venice ). A
series of passages leads you to the little Ponte dei
Sospiri ( the Bridge of Sighs), connecting the palace
with the new prisons. Breath in a sigh of relief and
leave the palace leisurely through the main entrance,
the magnificent gothic Porta della Carta.
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Accademia
The gallery of the Academy contains the most imortant
collection of Arts in Venice, being an excellent
inllustration of the development of the venetian Art
from the XIV-th till the XVIII-th century. The
exposition commences from the hall Scuola Grande di
Santa Maria della Caritŕ, the oldest of Scuole Grandi
(six main laic brotherhoods of Venise). The gems of the
collection are the coronation of Marie by Paolo
Veneziano and the masterpieces of Carpaccio
"Crucifixion" and "Apotheosis". In the next halls there
are the pictures of Giovanni Bellini, in particular
"Madonna with an infant surrounded by the saint
Catherine and Mary Magdalene" , and "The misterious
tempest" by Giorgione. Among the masterpieces of Titian
you will see a portrait of a young man Lorenzo Lotto's"
painted by the artist in his studio, "A chamber regal by
Levi de Paolo Veronese, "A fly of Saint Mark" and
"Crucifixion" by Tintoretto. In the chronologic order we
approach the characteristic landscapes of Canaletto and
Guardi, and the interiors painted by Pietro Longhi. The
exposition is organized in "come back" order so that one
can finish the excursion with the stirring scenes of the
XVth century.
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Ca' d'Oro
If you are eager to have a glance at the interior of the
famous palazzos embordering le Grand Canal, why not go
and visit Ca' d'Oro (Golden Chambre). The gothic
venetian structure of the XV-th century is known for its
gilding originally used to decorate the magnificent
sculptural details of the facade. Galleria Franchetti
containing an impressive collection of bronze, tapestry
and painture is situated in Ca' D'Oro. On the first
floor you can see the fragments of frescos of Titian
stemmed from Fondaco dei Tedeschi . You will also be
able to enjoy the view of Grand Canal from the balcony
and pat the heads of the charming lions-gargoyles.
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Rialto
The Rialto has always been the commercial core of
Venice, and there is no wonder why the first bridge over
Grand Canal was built there. Before Antonio Da Ponte
created the sturdy marble construction in 1588, the
passage was not always a success with merchants.
Nowadays the place is well-known for its market of
fruits and vegetables, but the bridge itself is almost
encumbered with counters so that the tourists could see
the goods.
If you look around you will notice various famous
buildings not far from the bridge. Fondaco dei Tedeschi,
the former Germain commercial company now is the central
post-office, situated to the North of the bridge. Its
white exterior was decorated with frescos by Giorgione
and Titian. The neo-Gothic vaults of Pescaria are only
hundred years old, but the tradition to sell wet fish
has been kept up since 1300. The most ancient church of
Venice is la Chiesa di San Giacomo Di Rialto, situated
in the middle of the market-place, is supposed to be
founded in March, 25 in 421, in the same day like
Venice. Cross the bridge and head for San polo to enjoy
the most marvelous tresure of Venice: Santa Maria
Gloriosa dei Frari, constructed by the order of
Franciscans
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