CC Travel Blog

Nov, 2006
I procrastinated on writing this post for over a week, because I am nervous. What if my pictures don’t convince you the glory of this piazza? What if I cannot describe so much happening in this piazza (which I am sure I can’t)? What if my itinerary and wandering in this piazza only leaves you confusion and annoyance? But when Venice is boiled down to one thing, it is Piazza San Marco, I firmly believe. So here it goes.

As soon as we reached the edge of the piazza, pigeons covered the floor almost entirely.

We entered the piazza through the side between Palazzo Ducale and Zecca, the Italian Mint. Walking past Palazzo Ducale, Basilica di San Marco is standing at my right and Campanile di San Marco (the bell tower) is at my left. Under a cloudy misty and rainy weather, the bell tower was closed to visitors.

The Basilica is so huge that we had to walk to the opposite end to get a good overview of the piazza.

Then we walked backtrack towards the bisilica, the holy grand structure.

Saving the best to the last, we walked to the structure on the far opposite of the basilica within the piazza and there it is Museo Correr.

Museo Correr is a civilian museum showing the collections of political and everyday life of Venice. Photography is not allowed inside and they watched like a hawk. I managed to only take a snap shot of the following.

There are two great cafes in this piazza, each takes a side in the piazza facing each other, equally classy and expensive. If you’re facing the basilica, to your left is the Quadri Gran Caffe. We took an indulgent lunch there.

Full of big glass windows on the outside, inside was decorated like a palace. We ordered bottled water, club sandwich and a panini, the total damage was about $30 Euro. Bearable.

On the left corner of Basilica di San Marco, there stood Torre dell’Orologio, the clock which displays the time of day, the dominant sign of Zodiac and the current phase of the moon, demonstrating the power of every standing item in this political-centric heart of Venice.

After lunch, the sky cleared up and the campanile re-opened. We wouldn’t miss the world to take this opportunity to enjoy the great view of the city.

The north side.

The west side where Museo Correr is at the end.

Rotating to the south side where the Grand Canal flows.

On the other end of the Grand Canal, the Isola di S. Giorgio Maggiore.

The old bells inside Campanile.

Almost reaching to the starting point, here’s the Basilica roof.

Returning to the Palazzo Ducale view.

After wandering around the piazza for over an hour, we finally felt ready to get into Basilica di San Marco.  In a brief description, this vast cathedral is famous for its stylist Byzantine domes and gilded mosaics. Built to honor St. Mark after the saint’s bones were kidnapped from Alexandria, Egypt in the 9th Century. the church kept his relics.

Angels and the four bronze horses which the Venetians snatched from Istanbul. The real ones are displayed in the museum inside the basilica, the ones on the roof are replicas, but equally alive.

Its beauty at the entrance seems to keep us from entering.

Inside the basilica, there are multiple museums, holding old holy relics and treasure. Be aware, each of them charge seperately. The Treasure room charged $2 Euro per person and viewing the bronze horses would be another $3 Euro.

The interior of the dome is spiritually powerful.

The drawings of the saint on the arches.

Inside Museo Marciano, the true 4 bronze horses demonstrated Venetian’s mighty power in their colonial days of the 16th century.

At the Atrium, ceiling mosaics telling stories and stories from the Bible.

One can easily spend half a day inside the Basilica; the best part is that a lovely high tea is reachable in a few minutes walking, at Florian Caffe. Same style exterior as the Gran Caffe, Florian also favors huge glass windows.

Similar exterior style but different interior. Florian is less decorative and luxury, no marble and no gold frames.

But they serve pretty coffee. Each cup of coffee also comes with a single packaged coffee bean as souvenir. Total damage for the following, $13 Euro.

Visiting Piazza San Marco is overwhelming. It seems each of the structures has so much details to contemplate, there are so many beautiful things to offer in this piazza and it fits different styles of travelling. For over-achievers like us, we found it full of offerings and amazements, for a slow pace pleasure-seekers, they can sit at a cafe or the side of the piazza all day long without feeling bored.

Piazza San Marco, the heart of Venice, the remaining of its ancient mighty power, now turned into an romantic awe.