Visiting St. Mark’s church and walking through san Marco square is a must for any first time visitor. The piazza is the largest open space in Venice and It was used for centuries as a civic forum for public and religious parades and it is here that the most important buildings are located all worth a description. The Ducal Palace once the home of the Chief of State and seat of Government, the Library, the Clock and Bell towers and the cathedral also known as saint Mark’s basilica that will be visited inside.
No other church was so richly decorated, it is sheathed with some 42 types of marble in the lower part while the upper section and the ceiling are covered by 86.000 sq. ft. of diminute glass tiles. The mosaics in St. Mark’s church is a world art masterpiece, a gigantic puzzle describing with great detail a number of subjects taken from the Christian Bible and the stories related to the life and deeds of the patron saint.
Another ‘must see’ is the Rialto market area. Once the richest market and the main distribution center of Oriental goods in Europe until the 16th century, this is the best place then where to talk about the Venetian trade and banking system and how Venice became the richest European city until the late 16th cent. The former merchant’s square is meters away from the Grand Canal where the waterway bends in its most central part, be ready then to take great pictures of the ‘aquatic’ life of Venice. Rialto is now the main market in town with several stands selling fruit and vegetable plus another section dedicated to fish and seafood.
But Rialto is also one of the oldest and most typical parts of Venice, with its tall Medieval buildings, narrow alleyways and warehouses. And lastly the area is well known for its great cicheti bars ideal places where to experience local wine and finger food in a friendly atmosphere.
And now the walking tour will lead you through two or more of the city districts in called sestieri. Looking at the map of Venice with san Marco at the bottom, on the right side of the Grand Canal you have Castello, Cannaregio and san Marco. On the left side there are Dorsoduro, San Polo and Santa Croce.
As this is a customized tour it will be your guide’s mission to maximize time proposing you the most suitable itinerary according to the meeting point. If the meeting will be at your place we can spend one part of the tour exploring your own neighbourhood before reaching the main areas of san Marco and Rialto. In every itinerary your guide will include the important sites and buildings in each of the districts through which the tour unfolds.
