San Marco Square, Venice. Piazza San Marco - for lovers of old architecture

In the old days, the Doji walked around this square with their families, there were bullfights, executions, lush holidays. The square was founded in the IX century in front of the Cathedral of St. Mark - the main patron of Venice. From the 12th century, it acquired the shape of a trapezium, 175 m long, 82 m wide, which it remains to this day. Venice is built up very tightly - even a small courtyard near the house is a luxury here. But for their main square, the Venetians did not spare the place.

The most important historical objects are located on the territory of the square: the buildings of Loggetta Sansovina, the Old and New Procuration, Doge's Palace - the luxurious residence of the ancient Venetian government; St. Mark's Cathedral, an interesting museum and treasury; Clock tower of St. Mark with gorgeous views from a height; The bell tower of San Marco (Campanilla) - an observation deck on the highest building of the city.

The city was built a long time ago, the local streets do not lend themselves to verbal description. They are small or very very small. And it is not true that the smallest street in Europe is located in Stockholm on Gamla Stan (the old town). In Venice, there are streets much narrower. Contrary to popular belief, Venice is no more expensive than Rome. Prices in cafes and stores are quite normal for Italy. You only need to move 50 meters from the most tourist places. The reason is that people really live in the city, not just tourists.

The Piazza San Marco is perhaps the main site where tourists are taken. And in vain. Quiet streets and canals somewhere far away are much more romantic, quiet and reflect the spirit of this ancient city. The Piazza San Marco has the largest number of gondolas. Of course, their main purpose is to ride tourists. Once upon a time the inhabitants of Venice were so rich that they adorned their gondolas exorbitantly. The government had to introduce a law prohibiting the decoration of the gondolas. Since then, all the gondolas in Venice are the same with minimal decorations.

The main square in Venice justifies the high trust placed in it - to be the most famous place in one of the most unusual cities in the world. The most visited museums of Venice are located on St. Mark's Square. The single ticket "I Musei di Piazza San Marco" includes: the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale), the Correra Museum (Museo Correr), the Museum of Archeology (Museo Archeologico), the Marciana Library (Monumental Biblioteca Marciana). A ticket to the museums of St. Mark's Square is valid for 3 months; buying online allows you to pass out of turn.

From May 1, 2019 in Venice, there is a tax on visiting the city. Exempt from tax are tourists who have booked a hotel in Venice (with the exception of apartments), children under 6 years old, students and Citypass card holders. Mainland Venice has an extensive network of highways. Highways connect the city with the northern and southwestern provinces of the Veneto region. Island Venice is connected to the mainland by the Freedom Bridge (Ponte della Liberta), which is 3 km long. You can move around the island either on foot or through the canals using water transport. This is the only city on Earth in which there are no cars and motorcycles. Even on bicycles through the narrow streets it is difficult to ride.

In Venice, there is no sewage system, they say, there are not even plumbers in it. All waste is washed directly into the channels. But they are laid so that the tides carry wastewater into the sea, so the water in the canals is always clean. But during strong ebb, the smell may indeed appear. Venice is regularly flooded, and this phenomenon is called aqua alta (high water). Previously, it was observed 9 times a year, and now it occurs about 100 times a year. And the first place that suffers from aqua alta is the famous Piazza San Marco, the lowest place in the city. It happens that in the morning you calmly walk around the square, in the evening it is already flooded by the ankle with water, and after a couple of hours everything is fine again.

Masks appeared in Venice not for fun. Approximately in the 17th century, they came up with wearing masks to protect their personal space, because the town is small. They could have been put on by lovers who did not want publicity, or a person who bought medicine for shameful illness. But then people realized that by covering their faces (and some masks even changed their voices), you could turn around dark things: walking around brothels, gambling, and making frivolous dresses. In Venice began the full decadence.

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