Lots.
In the Vaporetto post there was a bit about some of the things to do around St. Mark's. You can find those notes by looking at the Labels list to the left.
St. Mark’s Basilica, consecrated in 1094 is a beautiful example of Byzantine architecture. One can see the famous statues The Horses of Saint Mark there. The statues outside are replicas, the original ones are inside the basilica museum. The statues were installed on St. Mark’s Basilica in about 1254. Some historians say they once adorned the Arch of Trajan and possibly date back to 114 AD. The horses were long displayed at the Hippodrome of Constantinople, and in 1204 Doge Enrico Dandolo sent them back to Venice as a result of the plundering of Constantinople (Istanbul) in the Fourth Crusade. They were taken by Napoleon in 1797, restored in 1815 and remained in place on the basilica until the 1990s when they were moved inside to protect them from the elements. Be sure to check out the astronomical clock while you're there. It's just to the left when you face the basilica.
The Doge’s Palace (the white U-shaped building complex to the right of St. Mark's) was once the Doge’s residence, the seat of government, and the venues for law courts and, until they were moved across the Rio di Palazzo canal, the prisons. A Doge was an elected official, and therefore the supreme leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice. Doges ruled Venice for over a thousand years. The palace is built in the Venetian Gothic style and construction was begun in the 9th century. It was not fully completed until 1420. The entire complex is now a museum. If you book the Secret Itineraries Tour, you will be guided throughout the complex visiting the court, the palace residential area, the torture chamber, walk across the Bridge of Sighs, and the prison.
The Bridge of Sighs was constructed to connect the new prison to the interrogation rooms within the Doge’s Palace. As prisoners were being taken to prison for the final time (or worse, to their executions), the condemned men sighed when they caught their last glimpse of freedom and beautiful Venice. Lord Byron is said to have coined the phrase “Bridge of Sighs”.
If all that makes you thirsty, drop by Harry’s Bar at the Cipriani for a real Bellini. That's what Hemingway always did after he visited St. Mark's Square.
In the Vaporetto post there was a bit about some of the things to do around St. Mark's. You can find those notes by looking at the Labels list to the left.
St. Mark’s Basilica, consecrated in 1094 is a beautiful example of Byzantine architecture. One can see the famous statues The Horses of Saint Mark there. The statues outside are replicas, the original ones are inside the basilica museum. The statues were installed on St. Mark’s Basilica in about 1254. Some historians say they once adorned the Arch of Trajan and possibly date back to 114 AD. The horses were long displayed at the Hippodrome of Constantinople, and in 1204 Doge Enrico Dandolo sent them back to Venice as a result of the plundering of Constantinople (Istanbul) in the Fourth Crusade. They were taken by Napoleon in 1797, restored in 1815 and remained in place on the basilica until the 1990s when they were moved inside to protect them from the elements. Be sure to check out the astronomical clock while you're there. It's just to the left when you face the basilica.
The Doge’s Palace (the white U-shaped building complex to the right of St. Mark's) was once the Doge’s residence, the seat of government, and the venues for law courts and, until they were moved across the Rio di Palazzo canal, the prisons. A Doge was an elected official, and therefore the supreme leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice. Doges ruled Venice for over a thousand years. The palace is built in the Venetian Gothic style and construction was begun in the 9th century. It was not fully completed until 1420. The entire complex is now a museum. If you book the Secret Itineraries Tour, you will be guided throughout the complex visiting the court, the palace residential area, the torture chamber, walk across the Bridge of Sighs, and the prison.
The Bridge of Sighs was constructed to connect the new prison to the interrogation rooms within the Doge’s Palace. As prisoners were being taken to prison for the final time (or worse, to their executions), the condemned men sighed when they caught their last glimpse of freedom and beautiful Venice. Lord Byron is said to have coined the phrase “Bridge of Sighs”.
If all that makes you thirsty, drop by Harry’s Bar at the Cipriani for a real Bellini. That's what Hemingway always did after he visited St. Mark's Square.
