1 Day in Venice: Iconic Sights & Gondola Dreams

Located in St. Mark's Square and adjacent to the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Basilica was built in 828 and rebuilt in the 11th century due to a fire. It was originally used to house the remains of St. Mark, and was later used to collect plunders from various countries during the Eastern Expedition. Back treasure. It was once the largest church in medieval Europe and a treasure trove of rich art. Architectural style St. Mark's Basilica is dominated by Byzantine style, blending various architectural and decorative styles from Romanesque to Renaissance style. There are five Romanesque gates in the shape of diamond arches on the front, and oriental and Romanesque gates on the top. The German minaret and various marble statues, reliefs and flower-shaped patterns, huge domes and brilliant mosaics are its outstanding features. The church consists of five huge domed main halls and two cloistered vestibules, forming a giant Greek cross. The five domes are modeled after the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. The three flagpoles standing in front of the church are meaningful, representing the three islands of Cyprus, Crete and Morea owned by Venice when it was at its peak, and it is a testimony to the glorious history of the city. At the top of the center of the church is a statue of St. Mark holding the Gospel of Mark, and below it is a flying lion symbolizing St. Mark.

St. Mark's Square is unique among European city squares, being located in the city center, but not as noisy as other squares, thanks to Venice's quiet waterway traffic. As a Venice landmark, it is favored by tourists, photographers and even pigeons. Piazza San Marco has historically been the political, religious and festival center of Venice, the seat of all important Venetian government institutions, the seat of the Archbishop since the 19th century, and the venue of choice for many Venetian festivals. More than 200 years have passed since the style layout, this trapezoidal square on the edge of the Grand Canal still has its charm. The square is about 170 meters long, 80 meters wide to the east and 55 meters wide to the west. From New Year's Day to Carnival to Christmas, the Venetians host festivals big and small in Piazza San Marco, and even on normal days, people from all over the world flock to this square. There is a circle of exquisite Renaissance-style buildings on the side of the square. St. Mark's Basilica, the Mint, and the Doge's Palace are located on the east side of the square. On the south side are the bell tower and the new and old parliament buildings. Climbing the bell tower can overlook the whole square panorama. . On the west side is the Corell Museum, and on the back is a row of boutiques selling gold jewelry, glass, clothing, home decoration, etc. The storefront is not large, but the window design is very eye-catching. Between the Doge's Palace and the Venetian Prison on the other side of the river is the Bridge of Sighs, and between the square and the Grand Canal is the small Piazza San Marco, where you can see two tall columns standing on the river bank, one of At the top is the statue of San Marco's lion ready to fly. At the top of the other column stands a statue of the holy San Theodore accompanied by a crocodile, both patrons of Venice. During the day, the square is crowded with tourists, and there are groups of tourists everywhere, and large groups of pigeons are flying around the square. If you want to feed the pigeons, you can buy biscuits to feed them. If you encounter a black person who feeds pigeons and corn, don’t take it. A small handful of rice is 10 euros. If you accept it, you can ask for money. However, white people generally only give 2-5 euros. If you see Asians in Italy, they will charge more. You can choose to stroll in the square, of course, you can also choose an outdoor cafe seat to sit and rest when you are tired. Although the restaurants and cafes in the square are very expensive, you won't mind because you can stop here for a while and let your eyeballs enjoy the feast of architectural art. The steeple church, Byzantine dome church, mosaic frescoes, marble carvings, and the elegant and elegant Doge's Palace next door are not to be missed. In addition, there are many street performers and mobile vendors in the square, selling some local souvenirs, the price ranges from 3-10 euros, you can buy some as souvenirs if you like. At the same time, the view of the square at night will not disappoint you. If you visit Piazza San Marco around 7:30 pm, you will be impressed by the sight in front of you. In each arch of the buildings around the square, there are lights emitting golden light, which illuminates the original white stone church with golden color, and the whole square is shrouded in a golden splendor. Some restaurants also have their own open-air LiveShow, and it is also a pleasure to watch a free performance here.

The Bridge of Sighs is a baroque stone bridge located on the side of the Doge's Palace and is one of the most famous bridges in Venice. This is a sealed arch bridge building, from the inside to the outside can only be seen through the small windows on the bridge. The two ends of the bridge connect the court and the prison. Death row inmates pass through this bridge before execution, and sigh here about the end of their lives, hence the name "Bridge of Sighs". The current bridge of sighs has swept away its haze and ominous atmosphere because of the movie "Love Sunset Bridge", you can also call it "Sunset Bridge". It is the bridge in the film that allows the hero and heroine who are destined to spend their lives in each other at sunset.

The Doge's Palace, built in the ninth century, was the residence of Dodge, the former Doge. The Doge's Palace was originally a Byzantine-style defensive castle, and the huge expenditure when it was established showed the power and wealth of the Republic of Venice at that time. Architectural Style The present building was mainly constructed between 1309 and 1424. In 1574, the Governor's Palace was severely damaged by a fire. Although the designers of the time submitted designs in the neoclassical style, subsequent reconstructions continued the original Gothic style. However, there are also some classicist features, such as the Bridge of Sighs, built since the 16th century, through which the Doge's Palace is connected to the prison. Today, the Doge's Palace is a museum where visitors can admire paintings of Venice depicted by Tintoretto and Veronese. The Governor's Palace, which has a ㄇ-shaped internal structure, is divided into three floors, and the two sides facing the square and the wharf are its main walls. In a geometric pattern of white and rose marble, a solid wall is placed on the third floor, with A-line lace interspersed with gothic flame-shaped minarets on the upper edge. The second floor is a Gothic pointed-vault loggia decorated with four-leaf ornaments, and the Gothic arcade on the lower floor is supported by columns to support the two arches on the second floor. This not only subtly breaks the traditional Gothic design, but also subverts the traditional architectural principles to overcome the problem of the top heavy and the bottom light. It retains the original Byzantine concept and integrates the Gothic design to become a light and slender masterpiece of Venetian Gothic architecture. . Buy a ticket from the ticket entrance on the Slavic Embankment. There is a simple map behind the ticket, indicating the location of the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Basilica and the adjacent Craft Museum. Many original sculptures from the Doge's Palace are displayed in the Craft Museum. After entering the exhibition hall, you first come to the atrium, which is characterized by Renaissance-style marble carvings. Here you can see the "onion head" dome of the adjoining St. Mark's Basilica, with a clock-shaped marble facade on it. The first floor of the cloister on the three sides of the courtyard is a Renaissance-style regular round arch, and the second floor is a Gothic pointed arch, which is different from the Gothic pointed arch in the facade of the Governor's Palace. On the promenade on the second floor, there are several lion mouths in the shape of a lion's head, which are used to receive anonymous reporting letters. The public only needs to put the letter into the mouth of the lion. At that time, the Venice government encouraged whistleblowers and protected whistleblowers. Three locks were specially set up in the mailbox, which must be opened by three persons with three keys. In addition, standing on the sky balcony of the promenade on the second floor, you can overlook St. Mark's Square and the lagoon. There are 8 statues from the ancient Greek period in the courtyard. There are two finely carved bronze water wells on the ground in the courtyard, which are considered to be exquisite works of Venice in the 16th century. This well can absorb water from the outside waterway to the atrium for storage. In the past, it was the best quality water in Venice. Every day, many traders came to the Doge's Palace to fetch water, and then took the well water to distant areas to sell it. Then came to the official starting point of the tour route - the golden stairs, from which you entered the interior of the Governor's Palace. At the entrance of the golden staircase arch, the Hercules on the left is Hercules slaying the snake demon, and the god Atlas on the right is carrying the earth. They are above the stone pillars on the two sides of the entrance to represent the power of Venice symbol of. The golden stairs built in the 16th century were only used by nobles and important guests to enter the palace. The stairs can be said to be resplendent, and the ceiling carvings on the top are actually made of plaster and then decorated with a layer of gold foil. Follow the golden stairs to the third floor of the Governor's Palace. Every room here is as luxurious as possible. From the ceiling to the surrounding walls, there are magnificent decorations everywhere. However, according to the regulations here, photography is not allowed above the second floor. The main halls of the Governor's Mansion include the Map Hall, the Four Entrance Halls, the Conference Hall, the Ten-person Hall, the Elder Hall and the Grand Conference Hall. The walls of the map hall are decorated with world maps, and two huge globes are kept inside. In the conference hall, there is Tintoretto's giant mural "Paradise", which is based on Dante's "The Divine Comedy". There are more than 700 figures in the painting, which is called the world's largest oil painting. After visiting the various halls, go to the armory displaying various weapons, guns, ammunition and armor, which preserves the weapons of the Crusades, the first machine gun imitated according to Da Vinci's design, and the shocking chastity belt . Then the passage becomes dark and you will come to the cell located in the basement of the Doge's Palace. The number of prison cells at that time was not enough, so a new prison was built next to the palace, which became an independent building for the purpose of imprisoning prisoners in history, and the Bridge of Sighs connecting the two places was also built.