Other sites of interest
Antica Locanda al Gambero
ClassHotel 3 star
AreaSan Marco
Hotel The Antica Locanda Al Gambero is located in the heart of Venice 150 meters from Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge...
The Basilica of the Frari
In the area of San Polo, the "island of the Frari" is still full of life. Its artistic and spiritual centre is the majestic Basilica dei Frari which is found next to the antique monastery of the Conventual Lesser Friars which was converted to the "State Archives" after the Napoleonic suppression.
The history of this monumental and artistic complex goes back to the second decade of 1200 when the first friars, followers of Francis of Assisi, came to Venice for the first time. The city was created on a small constellation of islands in the lagoon, which the genius and labour of man gradually tried to unite reclaiming the marshland by filling in canals, pools and small lakes and driving piles into the ground so that luxurious housing could later be built. This was to be a symbol of the wealth achieved by the Realtino Republic through its conquests and trade at sea.
There are three outstanding paintings in the Basilica: in 1518 Titian consigned his majestic altarpiece of the Assumption, between 1519 and 1526 the same Titian painted the Madonna di Ca' Pesaro. The third masterpiece can be seen in the Sacristy of the Basilica: in a beautiful wooden frame engraved by Jacopo da Faenza, you will admire the enchanting Triptych by Giovanni Bellini, placed right on the altar. Valuable worksby Paolo Veneziano can be admired, too.
The same Basilica could be defined a miracle of sculpture that rises to decorate the Campo dei Frari. The exterior is embellished with ogival portals in the red stone of Verona with Byzantine pillars and pinnacles in white Istrian stone, thus giving movement and impulse to the building. Antique bas-reliefs frame the portals.
Il Ponte dei Sospiri (The Bridge of Sighs)
One of the most popular tourist sights in Venice, the bridge connects Palazzo Ducale to the Cells of the Piombi (the ancient prison). Although the name refers to the sighs of people going to be kept in prison, the beautiful view from the bridge has conferred it a romantic flavour.
Il Teatro La Fenice
It is one of the most famous opera theatres in the world. After theruinous fire that destroyed it in 1996, it has been rebuilt "com'era, dov'era" ("as it used to be, where it used to be").
Church of the Redentore
The Palladian masterpiece, erected in 1576 after the plague that scourged the city, had originally been conceived as a final stop in the procession of the Festival of the Redeemer, held each year on the third Sunday of July. As with other Venetian churches it sprang up as a votive temple in thanks for having overcome the plague. Indeed, during the previous centuries the plague had represented a terrible and recurrent danger in Venice and popular imagination usually associated it with divine punishment. The scenic layout and white façade of the building in perfect Palladium style are very similar to San Giorgio Maggiore.
Fabbriche Nuove and Fabbriche Vecchie
Fabbriche Nuove – an elegant building designed by Sansovino during the years from 1486 to 1570 - nowadays houses the offices of the Court of Assizes. For numerous centuries it played an important role as the headquarters of the merchant administration of the city of Venice.
The work of Antonio Scarpagnino, Fabbriche Vecchie was erected between the years 1520 and 1522, facing onto the Canal Grande. It currently is the seat of the law court.
The palace of Casin e Ca' Vendramin Calergi
For those who love risk and games of chance, the Casino can be an irresistible attraction. The monumental Palazzo del Casinò, inaugurated in 1930, opens from June to September and offers several French games like chemin de fer, trente quarante, roulette and so on…
The Ca’ Vendramin Calergi on the contrary, represents the winter headquarters of the Casinò Municipale, operating from September to May. It is famous as the place where composer Richard Wagner passed away in 1883.
The Venice Casinò is open all year round and offers the chance to play American-style games like fair roulette and bingo.
Santa Maria della Salute
A true masterpiece of Baroque architecture built by Baldassare Longhena between the years 1598 and 1682, the monumental church of Santa Maria della Salute towers up right at the beginning of the Canal Grande. It was erected in honor of the Virgin who in 1630 helped overcome the devastating plague.
The statue of the Virgin dressed as a "flagship of the Sea", surrounded by several flanking statues, makes the exterior extremely beautiful. You will also admire an imposing stairway with 15 steps, leading to the church. This number is a symbolic reference both to the steps of the temple of Solomon and to the fifteen mysteries of the crown of the Rosary. Truly magnificent both on the interior and on the exterior, theatre church has a splendid cupola and a spectacular central nave with an octagonal layout.
Zattere
The Zattere is a very romantic walk starting from San Basilio along the Giudecca Canal and ending in Punta della Salute. An astonishing vista of the bay of San Marco and of San Giorgio island can be enjoyed by tourists.
Gondolas
Always black, with a long asymmetric hull, and the left side a little longer for rowing with one oar only, gondolas are one of the best known symbols Venice and one of the most charming tourist attraction.
Nowadays luxury items, in the past they were used just to carry goods.
Harry's Bar
A true reference point for all lovers of good food and excellent cocktails, Harry's Bar has always been a 'must see' place. Managed with great aplomb and know-how by Arrigo Cipriani, this spot is also renowned for having created the famous Bellini cocktail, obtained from a mixture of peach juice and prosecco wine and also for having given birth to the excellent carpaccio. It is said in fact, that in the fifties a certain countess who was an habitué at Harry's Bar was forced to go on a diet and her dietician made her eat raw meat. In order to render this dish more appealing, the chef added mayonnaise and Worchestershire sauce to thin slices of beef. This recipe was thus named in honour of an exhibition by painter Vittore Carpaccio.
Caff Florian
In the sixteenth century the Venetians discovered the black drink named coffee and in 1693 they opened the first café. Since then, several other cafés sprang up in every corner. Strolling through Venice you will be surprised by the large number of coffeehouses with little outdoor tables always humming with people drinking a good cup a coffee. As you wander around Piazza San Marco you will be enveloped by the eighteenth century Venetian "dolce vita" atmosphere and a stop in one of the warm and welcoming salons decorated with pastel tones, mirrors and gilt frames is an unmissable experience.
Right in front of Piazza San Marco you will find Caffè Florian with its six splendid rooms, whose interior of this truly romantic. Meeting place for such personalities as Casanova and Goldoni, the Caffè was decorated in 1858 by Ludovico Cadorin. Eugène de Balzac, who was an habitué of the place, claimed that it looked more likea a theatre, a foyer, a stock exchange, a reading room, a club and even a confessional, than to a Café.