We did get up very early and soon after breakfast walked into the almost empty Piazza San Marco, which allowed me to take some photos without the usual day-to-day avalanche of tourists.
One of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture, the Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark is a symbol of the old Venetian wealth and power, this being the reason as to why from the 11th century onwards it was referred to as the "Chiesa d'Oro" (Church of Gold).
We started our outside visit at the North façade with the Porta dei Fiori, a thirteenth-century portal depicting a Nativity scene.
One of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture, the Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark is a symbol of the old Venetian wealth and power, this being the reason as to why from the 11th century onwards it was referred to as the "Chiesa d'Oro" (Church of Gold).
We started our outside visit at the North façade with the Porta dei Fiori, a thirteenth-century portal depicting a Nativity scene.
We then started looking up towards the mosaics depicted on the five round-arched lunettes of the lateral portals, of which only the one representing the translation of the body of Saint Mark dates back to the thirteenth century, with the others being replicas of seventeenth and eighteenth centuries mosaics.
Taken from Constantinople during the fourth Crusade in 1204 the porphiry statue of the Tetrarcs is said to represent the interdependence of the four rulers though some hypothesise they could simply represent Saracens.
The Torre d'ell Orologio completed in 1449 stood imposingly to our left.
From there we walked towards the waterfront the 15th century Procuratie Vechie, standing on our right, which were former homes and offices of the procurators of St. Mark. The columns of San Marco and San Teodoro erected in 1172 said to have been where public executions took place could be seen just in front of the Piazzeta.
To our left stood the Venetian Gothic style Doge's Palace with its white limestone and pink marble wall, whose fine porticos naturally caught one's attention. Said to have been the residence of the supreme authority of the Republic of Venice, no traces remain of its 9th century building, the oldest part being the façade overlooking the lagoon,whose columns have been decorated with 14th century sculptures.
The Campanile of Saint Mark's church stood up high in the centre of the Piazza, as if inviting on to climb to its balcony, where some of the best views over the Piazza and lagoon are said to be seen.
I couldn't help noticing the fierce-looking winged lion, considered the mascot of Venice.
The whole image of the Piazza, whose photos I had so often seen in the past hadn't yet settled in as being real, while we decided to walk along the river front under its cool breeze.
Because of our tight schedule we would have to "move" fast if we wanted to see something over the two days, which would not be easy.
(To be continued)
Must have been a really nice trip! I hope you enjoyed it and had a lot of fun. I really liked to read the text and see the pictures you posted. Kiss, JB.
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