If you enjoy walking, this is the TOUR for you. It will take at least two hours and a half, a little Venice marathon, approximately 7 kilometres. High heels at your own risk!
We start from Piazzale Roma, Venice’s link with the rest of the world and other means of transport, a brief glance at the famous Calatrava’s bridge, useful to reach the train station, Santa Lucia, and then proceed towards the Galleries of the Accademia, cross the Grand Canal and reach campo Santo Stefano, calle della Mandola, campo Manin, at this point we are ready to go with the flow and cross one of Venice’s busiest areas, Rialto.
The Rialto stone Bridge was designed by Antonio da Ponte (an Italian surname meaning “bridge”) between 1588 and 1591. The foundations required 12,000 piles and a huge amount of work.
The name rialto derived from rivo alto, literally high banks. The district is a commercial site full of shops and the site of the popular Rialto market. The clock of San Giacomo of Rialto is considered to be the least reliable of the city, so mind your own watch.
We turn left and go towards Campo San Polo, a huge campo with few trees, few bars and loads of children playing. In the vicinity the Faculty of oriental languages.
In the same district we encounter Casa Goldoni, a museum and a library dedicated to the famous Venetian playwright. From there we reach Campo San Tomà, a small campo with the Scoletta of the Scaligeri, (ancient co-orporation of shoemakers with a bas-relief by Pietro Lombardo) and the church with a façade from the 18th century which hosts paintings by Jacopo and Giacomo Guaranà.
Leaving the campo, on our right-hand side the Frari, aka Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. Frari is a Venetian corruption of frati, friars. The church is full of famous tombs and paintings (Titian’s “Assumption”), there’s an admission charge in order to visit its inside. The exterior is defined by its red-brick structure, and its gothic portal.
In the immediate neighbourhood the Scuola of San Rocco – the Confraternity of St. Roch, protector against plague, founded in the XVth century by a group of wealthy Venetian citizens, next to the church of San Rocco, from which it takes its name. The scuola has been decorated by Tintoretto.
We then continue till the end of the calle and see on our left-hand side the Tolentini, the administrative site of the University of Architecture, IUAV. The striking entrance hall was designed following a project by Carlo Scarpa, under the supervision of the architect Sergio Los and the engineer Carlo Maschietto.
At this point Piazzale Roma is a few meters away. Full circle.
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What are you waiting for?
For more info, you can contact me via e-mail: cbvenicebyvenice@gmail.com
