- Glamazon22
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Editor Pick
St. Mark's Basilica
- May 22, 2007
- Rated 4 of 5 by
artslover from Calgary, Alberta
Every tourist to Venice must visit St. Mark's square and admire the Basilica. We dutifully did that, but on the day we went, early April, the piazza area in front of San Marco was packed with tourists.
We could go into Basilica San Marco or the campanile bell tower, open Monday through Saturday from 9:45am to 5pm, but the queues were daunting. Or there's the Palazzo Ducale, open Monday through Sunday from 9am 7pm with admission of €12 but we had no reservations which are recommended and again, long queues. Instead, laziness had set in by our second week in Italy. The sun was out and the air was pleasant. Standing in a queue to go inside a dark building was looking like too much effort.
Instead, we sat at one of the cafes with outdoor tables farther away from the Basilica because it is less crowded and this one didn't have a group playing old Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra tunes. (Is that what Italians think American tourists expect in Italy?) We decided to enjoy the sun, some wine and some people-watching.
The cafe was called Eden, I think, but it hardly mattered because we weren't there for the food. We ordered a bottle of wine from the Veneto. It came with olives on ice which made it refreshing. We hadn't had lunch so we each ordered a panini. My cheese, tomato, and lettuce was exactly that, no dressing of any sort and the bun was plain, entirely bereft of butter or any spread. But the bun was toasted and the cheese and tomato have flavour so it was not as dreary as it might be. My husband's salumi panini was also just bun and slices of salumi. Again, a lesson not to expect much in the way of good food near a major tourist attraction.
This place also had one of the weirdest toilets. It was only 8 - 10 inches high and no seat. And this was for donne, women. I had been warned about lack of toilet paper but no one told me I'd have to practice my deep knee bends.
We sat for quite a while admiring the ornate architecture of the Basilica and people-watching including the drama of some teenage girl running around screaming until she fell into a heaping crying. A crowd gathered around, police were fetched and we never figured out what it was about as she was up and walking away eventually.
We later window shopped in the arcaded area of the square and when the gun went off, the pigeons all flew up, swirled around and settled back. Someone told me this was to scare them off, but it obviously doesn't work.
A perfect afternoon of doing not much of anything.
From journal Getting lost in Venezia
Editor Pick
St. Mark's Basilica
In the Byzantine style the Basilica of San Marco squats over its Piazza, a glamorous visitor from another world. A visit is quite-rightly seen as the highlight of any visit to Venice.
When I visited in November you entered via a catwalk - the waters of the lagoon had started to rise. The piazza was speckled with water forcing its way up through the drains, and inside the marble flooring of the narthex was slick and shiny with moisture. Appropriately enough mosaics of Noah and the flood, amongst other Old Testament scenes, are overhead. Once into the nave you are dazzled by gold. The domes, the arches, the walls, all have Byzantine style mosaics against a rich gilt background. It felt like being inside one of those copper jelly-moulds you see hanging in posh country kitchens (just over from the Aga). The colours were incredibly vivid, despite mostly being 12th-13th century. They reminded me of the nineteenth-century work in the Church on Spilt Blood in St Petersburg - however, despite all the gold they were not so gauche. The floor too was patterned marble, taking in geometric forms, peacocks, and some Escher-esque 3D designs.
€1.50 lets you up to the sanctuary where the high altar sits over what is supposed to be the tomb of St Mark (his relics were nicked from Alexandria in 828 by Venetian merchants, allegedly smuggled past the Muslim guards by being hidden in a confection of pork). Behind is the Pala d'Oro. As if you hadn't had enough bling this is the finest confection of worked gold and inlaid gems from Constantinople and Venice, dating from 976. And 1105. And 1209. And 1345. As well as the gold it contains 300 sapphires, 300 emeralds, 400 garnets, 15 rubies, 1300 pearls and so forth. The detail of workmanship is exquisite, forcing you to squint.
Another €3 and you can climb to the Museo Marciano. The highlights here are the elevated view straight down the nave, a closer peer at some of the mosaics, and the Doge's-eye view from the balcony over St Mark's Square. The real sell is meant to be the Roman horses of San Marco. And yes, the four steeds are very naturalistic, but they did not wow me.
Returning outside to the square you can see the first known depiction of the basilica in the mosaics above the left entrance. Follow the wall round towards the Palazzo Ducale to check out the porphyry Tetrarchs set into the angle of the wall.
Entry to the Basilica itself, is free, though I certainly recommend paying the extra fees detailed above. From Monday to Saturday it opens from 9.30am to 5pm, and from 2-4 on Sundays. I would recommend being an early bird - as I said, it is a must-see, and everyone else seems to agree. It gets busy. At rush hour you would be very lucky to get a good enough study of the Pala d'Oro.
From journal We Open In Venice...
Editor Pick
St Mark's Basilica
- January 3, 2006
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Glamazon22 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Taking pictures of the inside are not allowed, but everything inside is absolutely beautiful. The entire church glitters of gold, and knowing that the building is over a 1,000 years old makes that '87 300ZX Nissan your mom gave you seem like a spring chicken.
In 1063, under Doge Domenico Contarini, the building was set in motion, and not until 1096 was it finished, but the decorative work continued until the beginning of the 19th century.
Times and Costs: From October 1st to March 31st: Basilica: 9.45 - 4.45 (entrance free) St. Mark's Museum: 9.45 - 4.45 (entrance: ticket 3 € , reduced 1,5 € only for groups with more than 15 people) Pala d'oro: 9.45 - 4.45 -Sunday: 1.00 - 4.45 (entrance: ticket 1,5 € , reduced 1 € only for groups with more than 15 people) Tesoro: 9.45 - 4.45 - Sunday: 1.00 - 4.45 (entrance: ticket 2 € , reduced 1 € only for groups with more than 15 people)
From April 1st to September 30th: Basilica: 9:45am - 5pm (entrance free) St. Mark's Museum: 9:45am - 5pm (entrance: ticket 3€ , reduced 1,5€ only for groups with more than 15 people) Pala d'oro: 9:45am - 5pm - Sunday: 2 - 5pm (entrance: ticket 1,5€ , reduced 1€ only for groups with more than 15 people) Tesoro: 9.45am - 5pm - Sunday: 2 - 5pm (entrance: ticket 2€, reduced 1€ only for groups with more than 15 people)
Don't forget to visit the gift shop on the way out! Grab a few postcards, for 70 cents to 2 Euros, for great pictures of the inside that you were not allowed to take. Caveat: Dress appropriately! Unlike America, where it doesn't matter how you dress, here and all churches in Italy have strict dress codes. In the winter and early spring it's not an issue, but if you are going in the summer, long pants and shirts with sleeves will get you in--anything less and you'll be visiting St Mark's in your dreams!
From journal Of Carnivals and Gondolas