Piazza San Marco

One of the most iconic thing about Venice, among all of its iconic features, is the Piazza San Marco. St. Marco’s Square for those of us who speak English. If you’ve seen photos of winged lions, beautiful clock towers, the Palace of the Doge, and gondolas tied to posts, then you’ve likely seen parts of the Piazza San Marco within those photos.

The square is bordered by several tourist attractions, all of which are worth seeing should you find yourself in Venice. Perhaps the most famous of this is the Basilica San Marco, the grand church which takes up the eastern portion of the square. You’ll know it by the four bronze horses on the roof. They may appear green due to oxidization unless they’ve recently been cleaned. These are actually not the original horses, you can find those displayed inside the Basilica itself. It’s well worth going in to experience the amazing art of this beloved church.

Around the entire rest of the plaza you’ll find shops and cafes with places to sit outside and enjoy your espresso. At the southwest corner you’ll find the Museo Correr, a museum of Venician art. Personally I did not go in, so I’m not confident telling you if it’s worth visiting or not. That said, it is part of the palace of the Doge, the building which takes up the entirety of Piazza San Marco’s encirclement other than the Basilica. That’s a whole lot of palace, a whole lot of history, and a whole lot of art. For a skip the line ticket it’s €20, which seems like a bargain to me.

There is also the a bell tower which can be climbed, though you can only visit from April 1st to November 3rd, and tickets can only be purchased on site. I’ve not gone up the tower either, but I love high places so if you’re like me and you have a deep desire to go to the highest points and look down at the surrounding city, this will be the place for you!

Finally, the absolute best part about the Piazza San Marco can be found just in front of the basilica. There’s a stall right in front which sells dried corn which you can feed the pigeons. The birds are very tame and will land all over your arms and shoulders to get some corn from you.

Just make sure to bring some hand sanitizer for afterwards!

Wash your hands, wear a mask, and stay safe gentle readers.