From Saint Mark's Square to Rialto Bridge
The Piazza and its continuation, the Piazzetta, constitute the religious and political centre of the city, as expressed in the Basilica, the Ducal Palace, the Library, the Campanile (the old tower rebuilt at the beginning of XX century), the wings of Procuratie, the Clock Tower with the two Moors which strike the hour.
Every building stands in a perfect equipoise of various elements and exquisite refinement of the architectural details that expressed those qualities of serenity and magnificence which so characterised the Republic of the Serenissima: Oriental and Occidental world, for centuries divided despite their common matrix, were brought together in Venice and reborn through the centuries of her history.
Visit starts from the two colums of Saints Theodore and St. Mark the Evangelist and shows the beauty of the symbols of Venice: The Ducal Palace with paintings of Titian, Paolo Veronese, Giovanni Bellini, Jacopo Tintoretto, passing through the Bridge of Sights and the famous prisons; the St. Mark's Basilica, with the incredible cycle of mosaics and treasures from the East such as the Pala d'Oro and the four horses taken from the hippodrome of Costantinople in 1204.
Once ended the visit of the Square, we walk through the Castello area passing Campo S.ta Maria Formosa, ending up in Campo SS. Giovanni e Paolo (San Zanipolo), with the Dominican order monastic church where many Doges have their funeral monuments, the statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni and the former Scuola Grande di San Marco, masterpiece of Renaissance art in Venice, that have been given over to the city hospital together with the Dominican cloisters.
This 4hrs tour ends with a walk through the famous bridge and market of Rialto.
