FREE THINGS TO DO IN Venice

Saint Mark’s Basilica one of the famous historical places present in Venice, which was consecrated in 832 AD as a religious kind of building in order to house the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist. The design of this building is a mixture of both eastern and western architectural styles that makes it a unique architectural structure in the city of Venice.

Saint Mark’s Basilica is considered as one of the best examples of Byzantine structure and architecture in the world and this is probably the main reason that makes it a place for attraction of the tourists. This building is also known as “Church of Gold” (Chiesa d’Oro in Italian) because of its beautiful and opulent design as well as gilded interior mosaics.

The greatness of the city of Venice has always been reflected in the enrichment of Saint Mark’s Basilica as the extent of artistic work, iconographic and religious contents appeals a lot of tourists around the world.

This is another free attraction found in the city of Venice that is most popularly known for activities like dining, shopping and city walk sight-seeing. Napoleon himself called San Marco as “the drawing room of Europe”. St Mark’s Square has been a long lure for a large amount of pigeons that draw a massive number of tourists to this place who readily feed them.

Piazza San Marco was initially constructed as a small square dotted with trees in the 9th century. Because of being the largest square in this city, it was bestowed with designation of “piazza” while all others are referred as “campi”. It always remained the location of important government buildings and other facilities that are central to goings on in Venice.

The centre piece of the piazza is Saint Mark's Basilica (a great historical building) and another dominant building includes Doge’s Palace (a beautiful gothic structure). Presence of these buildings makes this square a tourist-driven place.

San Giorgio Maggiore is an island present in the city of Venice mainly famous because of a 16th Century Benedictine monastery or church present on it. This church’s facade is scaled in a way to present a public face to the city of Venice. This architecturally influential church was designed in 1566 by Andrea Palladio and later finished in 1610 by Vincenzo Scamozzi and located in the opposite of San Marco Basilica monumental.

San Giorgio Maggiore is one of the first sights of the city of Venice that becomes visible to a traveler who approaches by sea. This church presents a characteristic and mannerist arrangement of all the classics that is dominated by a pediment present in centre and flanked by two halves a broken pediment.

This place also attracts the tourists because of its spaciously light-filled interior, in which a screen of columns particularly separates high altar from monastic choir present behind it.

Rialto Bridge is considered as the true heart of Venice. This bridge is a landmark in this city characterized by 24-foot arch and is built on more than 12,000 pilings that provide a support to the bridge. This bridge is the first of only four bridges that span the Grand Canal. Rialto Bridge is lined with a number of shops that provide a gateway to the famous Rialto Market.

This bridge becomes an attraction for a number of tourists around the world because its elegant design and arched stone made structure with arcades present of each side. The central archway present at its pinnacle is mainly accessed by using wide stairs that are designed on either side of Rialto Bridge. These stairs also serve as a lookout perch. Numerous shops are also built under the arcades that provide catering services to all the tourists who come here to see this famous bridge and its views.

Santa Maria della Salute (English: Saint Mary of Health), commonly known simply as the Salute, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica located in the Dorsoduro sestiere of the Italian city of Venice. It stands on a narrow finger of land between the Grand Canal and the Bacino di San Marco making the church visible when entering the Piazza San Marco from the water. The Salute is part of the parish of the Gesuati and is the most recent of the so-called plague-churches. One of the loveliest and most authentic neighborhoods in Venice; Cannaregio is home to Venice’s Jewish Ghetto, the train station of Santa Lucia… and to the majority of Venice’s actual residents.

The Salute is octagonal in shape and sits on a platform of 100,000 wooden piles. It is Interior of the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute in Venice is constructed of Istrian stone and a marble-dust-covered brick known as marmorino. Though classic in design, it contains some Byzantine elements.

Home to an amazing collection of artwork by some of Italy's best artists, Chiesa di San Zaccaria is one of the most photographed ecclesiastic buildings in Venice. Named for the father of St. John the Baptist, St. Zacharias Church (San Zaccaria) is situated at a quiet square not far from the waterfront, just east of St. Mark's Square. The church supposedly contains the body of Zacharias.

The original church, which sat at the same site, was built in the 9th century. It was founded by Doge Giustiniano Particiaco and an extant crypt from that church is the burial place of eight former doges.Inside, the apse is surrounded by a passageway lighted by beautiful, tall Gothic windows and the walls are lined with some of the most magnificent works of art found in Venice. Artists included in this collection are Tintoretto, Angelo Trevisani, Giuseppe Salviati, Giovanni Bellini, Antonio Balestra, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, Palma the Elder and Van Dyck.

San Zaccaria, Venice

The most famous painting inside the church and one that's been recently renovated is Bellini's last Madonna with child and saints, painted in 1505.

Campo Santa Margherita is a popular piazza present in Venice’s Dorsoduro district. This is one of the busiest courtyards located in the Italy that is surrounded by bars, shops, cafes and a public market that is made in buildings that date back to the 14th century.

Campo Santa Margherita is considered as the social heart of Dorsoduro district. Historical buildings with markets that encircle the area are a home to mixture of private residencies, restaurants, a weekday market of flowers and some off-beat shops that give energy throughout the day. Presence of a university in near-by also adds vitality to this place. This place is considered more a spot for local residents as compared to the tourists.

People visit this place for a number of reasons. Some come here to stock up on bread, eggs, newspapers or other daily activities. Some visitors come here to shop at various boutiques or to socialize at cafes and restaurants.

Rialto market is a type of flea or street market mainly famous because of shopping and dining activities. This market is one of the most popular free attractions found in the strange and beautiful city of Venice.

This market is rich with sea food as it befits Venice’s ocean perch. Venetian locals as well as international tourists love to visit this centuries old market of Venice for delicious fruit, fish and vegetables. Like many other markets that are for tourist’s visits, it is very hard to determine in Rialto Market too that what was a local tradition and what flowed in from far away because of colors and varieties.

But a tourist will always love to spend his or her morning in this market as the stalls here browse fresh & tasty dates, plums, oranges, figs, fennels. Watching the fishmongers that expertly slit open big fishes and serve it to their customers is another famous tradition of this place.

Chiesa di San Vidal (The church of San Vidal) was founded in the Eleventh Century during the rule of Doge Vital Falier and was rebuilt in 18th century by Andrea Tirali. Since this church has been deconsecrated, this classic style (Palladio style) building is now a day’s used as a concert hall and a popular site to hear the works by Vivaldi on historical instruments. It also provides its services as a chief venue for arts exhibitions as well as other exhibitions and a ticket point for Interpreti Veneziani.

Within this church you can admire the paintings made by Giambattista Piazzetta and Vittore Carpaccio. Inside this church is a St Vitale on Horseback and Eight Saints, a gore free and uncharacteristic work that features traces of traffic-light red and a miniaturist’s attention to detail. Chiesa di San Vidal is an interesting example of medieval Venetian work of the 11th Century that makes this place an attraction for tourists around the world.

Jewish ghettos in Europe existed because Jews were viewed as foreigners due to their non-Christian beliefs and Middle-Eastern origins in a Renaissance Christian environment. As a result, Jews were placed under strict regulations throughout many European cities. The character of ghettos varied through times. In some cases, they comprised a Jewish quarter, the area of a city traditionally inhabited by Jews. In many instances, ghettos were places of terrible poverty and during periods of population growth, ghettos had narrow streets and small, crowded houses.

One of the loveliest and most authentic neighborhoods in Venice, Cannaregio is home to Venice’s Jewish Ghetto, the train station of Santa Lucia… and to the majority of Venice’s actual residents.

The area is interesting since it is still an active Jewish area with active synagogues. We enjoyed the tour, which was very informative, and covered not just the synagogues, but explained the history of Jews in Italy.