Venice itinerary

Piazza San Marco

• The heart of Venice and the Venetian State symbolic place, the monumental area of Piazza San Marco is composed of three areas:

• La Piazza where are the steeple and the basilica.

• La Piazzetta San Marco where are the Ducal Palace and the Basilica of San Marco.

• La Piazzetta dei Leoncini where is the patriarchal palace.

Il campanile di San Marco

The bell tower of San Marco is one of the symbols of the city of Venice.98.6 meters high towers is one of the highest in Italy. Stands isolated in a corner of Piazza San Marco in front of the basilica.

Open: 9.30-16.15 From November to March.From April to June and from September to October 9.00-19.00 July and August, 9.00-21.00

La Basilica di San Marco

• The first church dedicated to St. Mark's was built next to the Palazzo Ducale in 828 to house the relics of St. Mark's stolen, according to tradition, in Alexandria, Egypt by two Venetian merchants: Gift from Malamocco and Rustico da Torcello.The splendid golden mosaics of the interior decoration of the church is already nearly complete at the end of the twelfth century. The following centuries saw the church continually enriched with columns, friezes, marble sculptures, gold was brought to Venice on merchant ships.

Basilica: 9:45 to 16:45Sunday and holidays: 14:00 - 17:00 (free entry)

Palazzo Ducale• The Palazzo Ducale, one of the symbols of the city of Venice and a

masterpiece of Venetian Gothic architecture, is located in the monumental Piazza San Marco in the Piazzetta and the waterfront. Ancient seat of the Venetian Doge and the judiciary.The two main facades of the building in Gothic-Venetian facing the piazza and the pier is built on two levels colonnades topped by a powerful body to open large marble inlaid lancet windows, with a monumental central balcony and crowned with pinnacles. In the oldest part, facing the pier, are fourteenth-century capitals. The airy galleries of columns and pointed arches pierced, bordered by balustrades, are supported by the porch on the ground floor, which has lowered the actual appearance of the subsequent rise of the paving works to combat the secular sea level rise, which gave an appearance more massive columns topped with finely carved capitals.

Hours: Every day.From November 1 to March 31: 9.00-17.30.From 1 April to 31 October 9-19. The ticket office closes one hour earlier.Closed on 25 December and 1 January.

La Piazzetta dei LeonciniLa Piazzetta dei Leoncini Venice is a small square adjacent to the complex of Piazza San Marco. Located on the north-east of it, lies between the northern facade of the Basilica di San Marco, the Palace and the Patriarchal Church of St. Basso.The square is characterized by an elevated central level, accessible by short steps, on which are placed two statues of lions crouching, known as cubs, leading to the place name.At the center of the square is arranged in a well-curb, the only public well the entire complex of the Marciana.

Palazzo Patriarcale

The Patriarchal Palace in Venice, is the seat of the diocesan curia of the Patriarchate of Venice. Rises in Piazza San Marco, next to St. Mark's Basilica, overlooking the Piazzetta dei Leoncini.Originally the building, together with the basilica, was part of the complex of Palazzo Ducale. The building, connected to the Doge's apartments through a passage behind the apse roof of the basilica, was built in the early seventeenth century by the monopolies in order to accommodate a new banquet hall for receptions Serenissima Signoria and the Senate.

Hours:Cost: Friday € 10 (free for up to 5 years)Opening rounds of visit: 15.00/16.00/17.00Maximum number of guests: up to 20 people per shift VisitVisit duration: 1 hourLanguage: Italian, English is also short

The Biennale

• Starts out as a culture in 1895 with the aim of stimulating artistic activity and the art market in the city of Venice. A boosting the initiative was a group of intellectuals led by the Venetians of the time mayor, Richard Wild.

• In 1930 the Biennale became an independent state mostly dedicated to the art academic. In that same year was held for the first time, the Exhibition of contemporary music, followed two years later, in 1932, the most important and famous Venice International Film Festival. In 1934, however, the time of the theater.

The Ghetto’s Venice

• The ghetto in Venice was the area of Venice where Jews were forced to reside Venetians during the Venetian Republic. Its name derives from the word ghetto.The Ghetto is located in the Cannaregio district and is home of the Jewish Community of Venice

• The first settlements of Jews in the Veneto are very old dating back to IV-V century. The community will increase following the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. Hundreds of thousands of people sought refuge in Portugal, Turkey and Italy.

• Col tempo, malgrado le sopraelevazioni, si rese necessario ricorrere ad ampliamenti e i ghetti divennero tre: Ghetto Novo, Ghetto Vecchio e Ghetto Novissimo, tutti in aree contigue. Via via la comunità si consolidava economicamente ed era ricca di fermenti culturali. Tradizionalmente gli ebrei veneziani esercitavano l’usura, o quella che veniva definita tale, cioè di fatto un’attività creditizia che ai cristiani era impedita da motivi religiosi, in quanto si riteneva contrario alla morale lucrare interessi su somme date a pegno.