Campo San giacomo dall'orio

Campo San Giacomo dall’Orio is magnificently ordinary, a suburban oasis.   This campo is a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of thoroughfares like Strada Nuovo and the madding crowds of Piazza San Marco.  The features of this walk are numbered; however, it can be taken in any order, from the middle and work out, or enter from the north or south.  A thorough stroll around this lovely campo would cover approximately 500 metres.  If you are taking in the Turchi walk (Walk #8 from 17 Walks In Venice) then you could use this as a diversion stop before or after some of the major features of that walk.

Taking our starting point just outside the campo in the north, you will encounter one of the fine restaurants in the area (POI #1) La Zucca.  This restaurant is popular and will probably require reservations.  It has only 35 seats and has a vegetarian orientation with seasonal specialties receiving good reviews.  Just past the restaurant is the Ponte Megio.  From the top, if you look to the right there is a calle on the left side of the canal that leads to the Natural History Museum (Walk #8).  Near the corner is the former house of Marin Sanudo a noted diarist who recorded the goings-on in Venice between 1496-1533.  He was no ordinary diarist, recording 40,000 pages of daily life in the city.  A plaque denotes the house where he died.

Left over the bridge and onwards to the campo (if you have time, turn right and past Marin Sanudo’s place and in 50 metres you will be at the Natural History Museum).  If not, left and you will soon pass POI #2, Trattoria Al Ponte Del Megio.  There are also two gelateria and a place for snacks and a spritz just before you enter the campo, the one marked POI #4 is Gelato di Natura.  Onwards, and you will now be entering the campo from the north. 

The first point of interest is one of only two palazzi on the campo- Palazzo Pemma, which dates to the 18^th century.  The building has been restored and is now home to the Hotel Aquarius.  There is a large aquarium in the lobby which may be of interest.  Just a few steps further along to the right is a commemorative plaque dedicated to those who ‘fell for their country’ from the local Parish, showing 55 names.

Turning around, next you will see the local community garden.  Depending on the time of year, you may see a healthy crop in the garden bed there.  This is a welcome little green patch that you won’t see in places like Piazza San Marco, or Campo San Polo.  Likewise, the mature trees.  While there are larger public green spaces not too far away (for example the Papadopoli Gardens) this mixture of community space and functionality creates a pleasing environment.  Nearby are two places to stop for a meal or for a drink (POI #8-9): Enoteca Al Prosecco and Il Refolo, both quite popular.

Next is the church that gives the campo its name (Hours: Monday to Saturday, 10.30am-1.30pm & 2.30pm-5.00pm.  Closed on Sunday.  This is a Chorus church, ticket required).  Use the entry from Campiello del Piovan (this Campiello wraps around both sides of the bell tower).  Before you go in, head around the corner to the left and admire the bell tower which was rebuilt in 1225 but needed to be rebuilt after an earthquake in 1345.  Further restoration work was completed in 1360.  Embedded in the centre of the tower, just below the pair of arched windows is an ancient relief of Saint James the Greater with his staff and cape.  Back to the entrance and you will see a statue of St, James above the door and above that a paterae featuring animals.

Inside – like many Venetian churches – is a jewel to behold.  Architectural features include a ship’s keel ceiling, an amazing green ‘verde antico’ column that looks translucent; and ‘owl’s beak’ capitals atop the granite columns on the side aisles of the nave.  Artworks by Paolo Veronese, Palma il Giovane, Jacopo Guarana and Tizianello (nephew of Titian) can be found.  There is a crucifix attributed to Paolo Veneziano (active in the mid-1300’s) on the arch of the Chancel (the area around the altar).  To appreciate the works of Palma il Giovane, head to the old sacristy where there are eight of his paintings (there are four others around the church).  There are two Veronese paintings in the church, but they are both considered to be of lower quality and are thought to have been mostly executed by assistants (Saints Jerome, Lawrence and Prosper, c1573 in the Chapel of St. Lawrence; and the ceiling work in the New Sacristy, Faith with the Holy Spirit surrounded by the church doctors on the corners, c1577).  The rich decoration of the church can partly be attributed to the energetic patronage of the Parish Priest Giovanni Maria da Ponte between 1567 to the turn of the century.

Moving on from the church, POI #12 is the second palazzo on the campo, Palazzo Mariani which dates to the 17^th century (nos. 1584-86).  The two rather modest palazzi suggest that this campo wasn’t included in the ‘dress circle’ of the city, but many might see this as a blessing!  POI #13 and our final stop is an interesting former anatomy theatre: see the seventeenth century doors on the canal side.  Over the campo side door is the inscription ‘DOM MEDICORUM PHYSICORUM COLLEGIUM’ (college of medical physicists).  The original building was constructed between 1669-72 and was the home of the physician’s and surgeon’s guild.

Now might be a good time to use one of the many bench seats in the campo, relax and watch Venetian life unfold.

Sources and Further Reading:

Churches of Venice, (2022). http://churchesofvenice.com/santacroce.htm

Chorus Churches; Follow the link for a detailed map of the locations of the art works.

Freely, J. (1994).  Strolling through Venice, Penguin Books, London

Giordani, P. (2002). Venice: 30 walks to explore the city, Cicero, Venice

Lillywhite, M. (2019). ‘The Decoration of the Church of San Giacomo dall’Orio in Venice, 1567–1606: Palma il Giovane, Giovanni Maria da Ponte and the Counter-Reformation’, Artibus et historiae: an art anthology, (79), 117-150.

Lorenzetti, G. (1975). Venice and its Lagoon: Historical Artistic Guide, Edizioni Lint Trieste, Trieste

Manno, A. Venchierutti, M. & Codato, P. (2004). The Treasures of Venice, Rizzoli, New York

Sammartini, T. (2002). Venice from the Bell Towers, Merrell Publishers, London

Images:

Campo

Manfred Heyde, Wikimedia Commons

Low Relief of St. James

Remi Mathis, Wikimedia Commons

Palazzo Pemma

C and C Archittetura Ingegneria

Ponte Megio (for POI #3)

Neil Rickards, Wikimedia Commons

Church of San Giacomo dell’Orio (outside)

Lothar John, Wikimedia Commons

Church of San Giacomo dell’Orio (inside)

Didier Descouens, Wikimedia Commons

Painting – Allegory of Faith by Veronese

Didier Descouens, Wikimedia Commons