May 27, 2024 - Classic Italy
Venice: Bell Tower
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After leaving the Murano Glass Factory, we had the afternoon to ourselves, and decided to ascend the Bell Tower. The line wasn't very long and it had an elevator; i.e., we didn't have to climb 450 steps as in Venice!
The views were amazing from the top of the tower.
Here we are looking down on St. Mark's Square.
The buildings on the right side are known as the Procuratie Vecchie, the old procuracies, or old offices, formerly the homes and offices of the Procurators of St Mark, high officers of state in the days of the republic of Venice. They were built in the early 16th century. The arcade is lined with shops and restaurants at ground level, with offices above. The restaurants include the famous Caffè Quadri, which was patronized by the Austrians when Venice was ruled by Austria in the 19th century, while the Venetians preferred Florian's on the other side of the piazza.
The center, which was rebuilt by Napoleon about 1810 and is known as the Ala Napoleonica (Napoleonic Wing), holds, behind the shops, a ceremonial staircase which was to have led to a royal palace but now forms the entrance to the Museo Correr (Correr Museum).
At left is the Procuratie Nuove (new procuracies or new offices), which were designed by Jacopo Sansovino in the mid-16th century but partly built (1582–86) after his death by Vincenzo Scamozzi apparently with alterations required by the procurators and finally completed by Baldassarre Longhena about 1640.[6] Again, the ground floor has shops and also the Caffè Florian, a famous cafe opened in 1720 by Floriano Francesconi, which was patronised by the Venetians when the hated Austrians were at Quadri's. The upper floors were intended by Napoleon to be a palace for his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais, his viceroy in Venice, and now houses the National Archeological Museum housing ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman & Babylonian antiquities.
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Looking down at the Piazzetta di San Marco, which is, strictly speaking, not part of the Piazza but an adjoining open space connecting the south side of the Piazza to the waterway of the lagoon. The Piazzetta lies between the Doge's Palace on the east (left) and Jacopo Sansovino's Biblioteca (Library) which holds the Biblioteca Marciana -- a Public reference library, with lavish design by Sansovino & a significant manuscript collection - on the right.
The Marciana Library or Library of Saint Mark is a public library. It is one of the earliest surviving public libraries and repositories for manuscripts in Italy and holds one of the world's most significant collections of classical texts. It is named after St Mark, the patron saint of the city.
The library was founded in 1468 when the humanist scholar Cardinal Bessarion, bishop of Tusculum and titular Latin patriarch of Constantinople, donated his collection of Greek and Latin manuscripts to the Republic of Venice, with the stipulation that a library of public utility be established. The collection was the result of Bessarion's persistent efforts to locate rare manuscripts throughout Greece and Italy and then acquire or copy them as a means of preserving the writings of the classical Greek authors and the literature of Byzantium after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. His choice of Venice was primarily due to the city's large community of Greek refugees and its historical ties to the Byzantine Empire.
Today, the building is customarily referred to as the 'Libreria sansoviniana' and is largely a museum. Since 1904, the library offices, the reading rooms, and most of the collection have been housed in the adjoining Zecca, the former mint of the Republic of Venice. The library is now formally known as the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana. It is the only official institution established by the Venetian Republican government that survives and continues to function.
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The Doge's Palace -- part of it, anyways -- on the left.
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A good shot of the entire Doge's Palace. Part of St. Mark's Basilica is at left.
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| Looking down on the roof of St. Mark's Basilica. |
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Looking southwest at the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute.
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Close-up of the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute.
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Now looking west over St. Mark's Plaza.
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Looking south at the San Giorgio Maggiore Church which sits on an island.
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| Close-up of San Giorgio Maggiore Church, built in the 1600s, and featuring Tintoretto paintings. |
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Still looking south, at the pedestrian-only Giudecca, consisting of connected islands where hotels, restaurants, and bars – some in former warehouses or factories – line the Venice-facing promenade, and apartment buildings overlook the Venetian Lagoon. The grand Basilica of the Redeemer, built to fulfill a vow made during the 1575 plague, is the centerpiece of an annual festival.
Look at all the boats!
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| Two big luxurious boats with a close-up of the Basilica of the Redeemer in the background. |
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| Looking southeast across the Doge's Palace. |
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| Looking southeast. Lynnette and I would walk down the waterfront to the far right after coming down from the Bell Tower. |
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| Looking northwest with the bridge connecting Venice to the mainland visible in the distance. |
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| Looking north. The Venice International Airport is visible across the Venetian Lagoon in the distance. |
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| Looking down at the Clock Tower. Part of St. Mark's Basilica's facade is visible. |
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