Venice - Piazza San Marco - Then & Now
Day 9 & 10 - Explore Venice Piazza San Marco - Then & Now "The world's most beautiful drawing room!" Napoleon There is only one piazza in Venice and that is Piazza San Marco or St. Mark's Square. The original piazza was constructed in the 9thC in front of the original St. Mark's Basilica which was then just a small chapel connected to the Doge's Palace. Surrounded by a wooden fortified wall and dotted with trees, the piazza became the heart of the city and the seat of political power in the Middle Ages. It was here that butchers, bakers and other tradesmen would set up their wares, and the rich and poor celebrated with parades and ceremonies. It was the center of civic and religious life. Over the centuries the ancient square continued to grow into a 170-meters long trapezoid with the addition of a new basilica, a bell tower, a clock tower, government offices, a piazzetta, cafes and museums. As these "then a...