Venezia neighborhoods | San Marco in analogue

from the family photo album - San Marco square

1. my granpa and his father in the 40s | 2. my mum, my aunt, uncle and me, 1989

 3. me feeding pigeons (it is not allowed anymore), 1993 | 4. me and my sister feeding pigeons again (you can easlily understand why it is not allowed anymore), 1996 | 5. marco chasing pigeons, 1985 

it took me 2 field trips to Venice, 2 raids to the family photo albums, some strolling back and forth to the photo lab, and some watercolors attempts to get this post done - so i apologize if it had been days since my last update!

today i'd like to start our analogue journey through Venezia neighborhoods (or sestieri) from the most representative of them all: San Marco.
my plan was to open with a picture of the best known landmark of Venice: Basilica di San Marco. unfortunately, part of the façade is currently under renovation, so i did not take any picture, i don't want to spoil the scenery for you. so, Marco an i went through our photo albums, hoping to find some old family picture posing in front of it. we collected a few vintage shots taken in piazza San Marco, although it seems that the real subjects were pigeons instead of the magnificent basilica :)

map of San Marco neighborhood 

sestiere San Marco is a concentration of all your Venice expectations. piazza San Marco, with the Palazzo Ducale, basilica, campanile, clock tower, columns and bridge of sighs {ponte dei sospiri} are what the 30 million tourists come to see here.

but, there is plenty more. San Marco is the place to visit for art lovers, as you can visit, besides the already mentioned art monuments, also:
* Correr museum
* the National Library Marciana, one of the first public libraries in Europe
* palazzo Fortuny
* palazzo Grassi, that usually hosts great contemporary art exhibitions
* La Fenice, theatre and opera house, rebuilt and reopened in 2004 after the last {of three} fire that destroyed it in 1996

the Correr museum has a cumulative ticket {17,50€} that includes Palazzo Ducale, archeological museum and the national library monumental halls {which have free entrance on the first sunday of the month}. 

piazzetta San Marco and the red byzantine columns of San Marco, patron saint of Venezia, symbolized by a winged lion, and San Teodoro, patron saint of the city before San Marco

details of the Palazzo Ducale/Doge's palace and Porta della Carta, the gothic cerimonial entrance to the palace

ponte dei sospiri/bridge of sighs
it connected the Doge's palace to the prison, so the name comes from the idea that from there, prisoners had their last glimpse of Venice, and the free world, before being locked up (or worse) 

in one corner of piazza San Marco, you can also admire a modern jewel from the late 1950s: the Olivetti showroom, designed by the venetian architect Carlo Scarpa. you'd love the mosaic floor and the unique stairway.

Olivetti showroom 

Olivetti typewriter

on the downside, San Marco is crowded with visitors everyday of the year, the prices are usually higher and the residents almost invisible. to see the main sites, there is no solution: crowd has to be faced.
although, far from the busiest calli, at night or in the early morning light, its magic will reward your efforts.

Venezia classic VS Venezia unclassic | shot with VSCO 

Venetian decor
1. one of the windows of Caffè Florian, a timeless and elegant cafè in piazza San Marco - nikon EM + kodak colorplus 200 | 2. ballroom in Correr Museum - shot with VSCO 

the view from Accademia bridge 

how to catch up if you missed something
you can read the Venice series introduction here & all posts about Venice here