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St. Mark’s Square

Originally a large green field, Saint Mark’s is a unique square surrounded by the Procuratie Vecchie and Procuratie Nuove, a spectacular series of monumental buildings.

With its 8000 square meters of golden mosaics decorating its five huge cupolas, St. Mark’s Basilica was consecrated in 832 A.D. to house the body of St. Mark. Destroyed twice and rebuilt over the following centuries in the shape of a Greek cross, the Basilica is the perfect union of Eastern and Western architecture. Clad in marble from Syria, Egypt and Palestine, its façade hosts the Quadriga of St Mark’s, a group of four bronze horses looted from Constantinople during the IV crusade.

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The Doge's Palace

Dating back to the 9th century, the Doge's Palace was originally a fortified castle, destroyed by a series of fires and then rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries. A masterpiece of Gothic architecture, decorated with geometrically patterned Istrian stone and pale pink Veronese marble, it is the home of the grand rooms of state, the Doge's private apartments, council chambers, courts and prisons. The latter are connected to the palace by the lacework-like aerial passage of the Bridge of Sighs.

The bell tower

The original Bell tower, which was completed in 1173, acted as a lighthouse for the sailors in the Lagoon.

Repeatedly damaged during the centuries by fire and lightning and many times restored, Saint Mark’s Campanile collapsed completely in 1902 but was quickly rebuilt “as it was, where it was” and inaugurated on 25th April (St. Mark's Day) 1912.

The astronomical clock
Facing the Basilica, to the left stands the Clock Tower with the entrance to the Mercerie, the long commercial artery that leads to Rialto, the commercial heart of the city. The statue of the Virgin with Child and the famous Lion of Saint Mark, placed on a starry background, top the clock. On the top the great bell of the Moors, two colossal bronze statues of shepherds beat the hours with big hammers.

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