Basilica di San Marco – with mosaics and domes and picture-perfect beauty, this cathedral is something that you will never be able to forget. The structure was built in the 9th century with the exclusive purpose of housing the corpse of St Mark after it was once smuggled out of Egypt by Venetian merchants in a barrel of pork fat. The original structure burnt down in 932 but was built back with its own identity that comes with the Byzantine domes and the layout of marble.
Gallerie dell’Accademia – if you want to know all about the evolution of art in Venice from the 14th to the 18th century this is the place to be. There are works done by masters such as Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and Canaletto to name just a handful. It’s a unique and priceless collection of what this city has to offer.
Paazo Ducale – this exquisite structure on the waterfront is one that draws influence from Gothic trends. It looks dainty in every way but is also home to the grand state rooms, the private apartments of the Doge, council chambers, courts as well as prisons.
Scuola Grande di San Rocco – in the days of the old, people wanted this building to be painted in the dedication of the patron saint of the plague-stricken but it seems that Tintoretto had a different plan. He produced sketches that would rival his contemporaries and also gifted them a ceiling panel that was painted in dedication to patron St Roch. They could not refuse what the artist had to offer. The life story of Mary is carefully documented here as well as curated scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
I Frari – this is one of those incredibly and painfully beautiful soaring Goth churches that house a wealth inside of it with the likes of Bellini’s infamous and revered Madonna with Child. The one thing that you should not miss seeing here is the Titian altarpiece where Madonna steps into heaven escaping her mortal self. The maestro who lost his life to the plague is buried near his beloved and most celebrated masterpiece here.
