Sights

With Venice, of course it is the experience of the whole city that becomes the sight to see. However, here are some highlights.

Basilica di San Marco (St Mark’s Basilica)
The basilica was founded in the ninth century, as a shrine for the relics of St Mark, whose body supposedly was smuggled from Alexandria in a barrel of salted pork. Formerly a private chapel of the ruling Doges, the church was completely rebuilt in the 11th century, following a fire. On the façade are copies of four bronze horses seized from Constantine’s Hippodrome at the sacking of Constantinople in 1204, which became one of the symbols of the city. The originals are now displayed in the Museo Marciano, inside the church for preservation reasons.The interior houses many of Venice’s greatest treasures, with mosaics of glass and marble and alters inset with sapphires, emeralds and rubies.to come. Piazza San Marco
www.basilicasanmarco.it
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 09:45-17:00 and Sun 14:00-17:00.
Admission: Free (Church); €2 (Pala D’Oro); €2.50 (Treasury).

Rialto Bridge
This stone bridge was built in 1588, by Antonio da Ponte’s, a design which beat off proposals by Palladio and Michelangelo. Until 1854, this was the only point at which the Grand Canal could be crossed on foot. If visiting during the day, make sure to return when it is dark when the bridge really takes on an otherworldly atmosphere.

Galleria dell’Accademia
Many of Venice’s greatest paintings remain in the buildings for which they were created, but the most important art gallery is the Accademia. The collection first opened in 1750. The larger canvases by Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese in room 10 should not be missed.Dorsoduro 1050
www.gallerieaccademia.org
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 08:15-19:15, Mon 08:15-14:00.
Admission: €6.50.

Basilica dei Frari (Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari)
The glorious Gothic Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari was constructed around 1330. It is primarily associated with the name of Titian, Venice’s painter son who is buried here, alongside the city’s celebrated sculptor, Antonio Canova.
San Polo 3072
http://www.basilicadeifrari.it
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 09:00-18:00 and Sun 13:00-18:00.
Admission: €2.50

Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Peggy Guggenheim’s collection of modern art is probably the most distinguished in Italy. The wealthy American heiress built up her collection between 1938 and 1947. Following the exhibition of the collection at the 1948 Venice Biennale, she bought the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, where she lived until her death in 1979, leaving her estate to the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation. The collection spans Cubism, European Abstraction, Surrealism and early American Abstract Expressionism, with works by a wide variety of artists, including Pollock, Picasso, Kandinsky and Dalí. The sculpture garden is also very nice and has lovely views over the Grand Canal.
Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Dorsoduro
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 10:00-18:00; closed Tue.
Admission: €10.