Most visitors to Venice will spend their time taking in iconic sights like St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge, traversing between the two. The Doge’s Palace, the Accademia galleries and that great promenade – the Riva degli Schiavoni are favourites too. Despite the vast number of tourists that visit the city, there are many amazing places in Venice that go unnoticed. They are not far from the iconic sights, yet they are not well-known, but they are worthy of a visit. Here are the ones from 11-15.
The area behind the church of San Giovanni Crisostomo is the former ‘stamping ground’ of the explorer Marco Polo. There are remnants of his house and some architectural features that adorn the courtyards in the area that date to the Byzantine era. Just metres away from the throng of Salizada San Giovanni Crisostomo you can find a tranquil place that has a medieval atmosphere. Look for the ornate archways in Corte Seconda del Milion (returning to Venice around 1295, Marco Polo was known as ‘Marco Millions’ because of the belief that the stories from his travels were wildly exaggerated). The courtyard of the Casa dei Morosini is one of the oldest in Venice, having been first mentioned in 1369. It features a well head dating back to the 14th century.
Locating the Courtyards
Access from my guide maps: Walk #15 ‘Miracoli’ – point of interest #11. It is an area that can be confusing and may require back-tracking to appreciate the maze and the atmosphere.
If you arrived in the city by train, then you couldn’t have missed the somewhat controversial church of San Simeon (there are two and this one is differentiated with the title ‘Piccolo’). Observers through the years have been less than kind in characterising the church: ‘a wretched imitation of the Pantheon’ writes Pompeo Molmenti the historian (1906). Napoleon Bonaparte was reported to have said: ‘I have seen churches without domes before, but I’ve never, until now, seen a dome without a church’. John Ruskin wrote: ‘One of the ugliest churches in Venice or elsewhere. Its black dome, like an unusual species of gasometer, is the admiration of modern Italian architects’. The original church was founded in the 9th century and consecrated in 1271. There was a complete rebuild commencing in 1720. Of special interest (if it is open) is a frescoed crypt beneath the church which can visited. The excellent ‘Churches of Venice’ website describes it as: ‘a warren of tunnels, radiating from a central octagonal domed space, which has the light. The walls and ceilings are totally covered in painted decoration and images, with spooky niches and chambers leading off. The painting is rough in execution and macabre in style, with reclining bodies, Passion scenes and skeletons featured’. Use the link here to visit the Churches of Venice web page which is an excellent resource for those interested in the art and the history of the city’s churches. There is a short YouTube video of the Crypt here. The crypt is not for the claustrophobic! Further reading at this blog.
Locating San Simeon Piccolo
Access my guide maps on Walk #7 ‘Tolentino’ – point of interest #10.
From the Rialto Market Vaporetto stop, you may have noticed a courtyard on the other side of the Grand Canal. If the weather is good, there may have been people enjoying themselves out there with a drink or a snack. They are in the Corte Al Remer. Find your way back to the Salizzada San Giovanni Crisostomo. Moving north, with the Church of San Giovanni Crisostomo to your back, keep a lookout for a really narrow entrance on the left about 10 metres along which will take you to Campiello del Remer and the Taverna Al Remer (a red fire hydrant marks it: Calle de la Stua).
There are a couple of extra points of interest here, including No. 5703, which is the remains of a twelfth-century palazzo formerly belonging to the Lion family. In 1540 Maffeo Lion was banished from the city for giving away State secrets to the French and his Palazzo was ordered to be destroyed. It was spared through being partly owned by his brother and wife (the latter via a dowry). Later, it came into the hands of the Morosini. There is also an interesting vera da pozzo in this courtyard.
Locating the Campiello
Walk #15 ‘Miracoli’, Point of Interest 23.
The Palazzo Mocenigo was opened to the public in 1985 becoming the seat of the Study Centre of the History of Textiles, Costumes and Perfume. It houses a vast collection of ancient fabrics and clothes belonging to the Venice Civic Museums – most of which came from the Correr, Guggenheim, Cini and Grassi collections. The palazzo also contains a library specialising in the history of fabrics, costumes, and fashion. Completely renewed and expanded at the end of 2013 you can now follow through twenty rooms on the first floor which has doubled the amount of exhibition area compared to when it opened in 1985. Exhibitions evoke the different aspects of the life and activities of a Venetian nobleman between the 17th and 18th century.
Locating the Palazzo
Walk #8 ‘Turchi’ Point of Interest 11.
The Santa Maria dei Miracoli was built by the Amadi family and is the only church in Venice dressed fully in marble. It is also one of the few free-standing churches in the city. Building commenced in 1481 to house a painting of the Virgin Mary that had been in a calle near Campo Santa Marina which had become an icon as far back as 1408. Pietro Lombardo’s design merges the preceding styles of the Byzantine and the emerging elements of the Renaissance as a spectacular, yet accessible whole. The varied colours of the marble, the modest scale of the building and its niche positioning give it a jewel-like property. The marble facings were replaced during the mid to late 1800’s, with the work being completed in 1887. The less said the better… simply step inside and enjoy the beauty, the form and the function of the church.
Locating the Church
Take Walk #15 ‘Miracoli’ See Point of Interest 12.
Image Credits (Palazzo Loredan in Sampo Santo Stefano)
Wikimedia Commons users:
ESA/Hubble (Foyer)
Didier Descouens (Façade)
Image Credits (The church of San Simeon Piccolo)
Façade: Wikimedia Commons user Marc Ryckaert
Inside the Crypt: Churches of Venice web page (linked above)
Image Credit Palazzo Mocenigo
Image Credit: Where Venice
Image Credits (Miracoli)
Belotto painting c.1740 Hajotthu
Exterior (modern-day) Andraszy
Interior Francisco Anzola
San Gregorio Monastery
Scuola degli Schiavoni
San Zulian
Garden of the Palazzo Soranzo Capello
Sant’Apollonia Cloister
San Zaccaria Crypt
San Polo
Fontego dei Tedeschi
San Giacomo dell’Orio
Gesuiti cloister
Oratory of Crociferi
San Sebastiano
The marble screen at the Scuola San Giovanni Evangelista
Palazzo Zenobio degli Armeni
Palazzo Loredan (foyer) Campo Santo Stefano
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpeg){kind=link}