The golden mosaics of the basilica and the bell tower
Piazza San Marco, which Napoleon is said to have called "the finest drawing room in Europe", is the only square in Venice to be called a "piazza"; all the others are "campi". Surrounded on three sides by the arcades of the Procuratie, it opens onto the lagoon through the Piazzetta, between the two columns of St Mark and St Theodore.
At its end rises the Basilica of San Marco, built from the ninth century to house the body of St Mark the Evangelist, stolen from Alexandria by Venetian merchants, and rebuilt in the eleventh century on the model of the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. Its five domes, its façade of marbles and mosaics and the four bronze horses, brought from Constantinople in 1204 (the originals are inside), express the wealth of the Republic. Inside, more than 8,000 square metres of golden mosaics cover vaults and domes; behind the altar shines the Pala d'Oro, an altarpiece of gold, enamels and gems. Opposite, the Campanile, 98.6 metres high, collapsed in 1902 and was rebuilt "where it was and as it was"; a lift takes you to the top.
Tip: book the basilica online to skip the queue; shoulders and knees must be covered. In the evening the orchestras of the historic cafés Florian and Quadri play in the square.
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