All of Venice's most important religious and civil ceremonies have always been held
here in this piazza.

The Campanile was
constructed in 1912.

Ride the elevator 300 feet to
the top of the bell tower
for the best view in Venice.

The pigeons at the piazza are
well-fed and unafraid of humans.

The winged lion at the top of the arch is the symbol of St. Mark.

ornate carvings above the
main entrance to the basilica

I'm windblown AND have
a bad cold.  But I'm in Europe,    so I'm still smiling.  

The basilica is decorated inside with plundered treasure collected by marauding Venetian sea captains.

The ceiling artwork above depicts scenes from the Bible.

The interior glows with gold mosaics and colored marble.

Doge's Palace, constructed
from 1309 to 1424

The Campanile's five separate bells were used in the past
to communicate different
messages.  Now they're
just rung to entertain tourists.

Mark Twain wrote in
"The Innocents Abroad" about
his tour of Doge's Palace.

This great public square overlooking the water is a
mixture of spaces and styles.

Napoleon called the Piazza
San Marco "the finest
drawing room in Europe."

The city government is planning to
raise the square's pavement to
minimize flooding in the future.

Matt at Doge's Palace

This wacky lady and her
waltzing mannequin entertain
crowds at the piazza.

Disappointingly, her canned music was not Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself."

The piazza sits
alongside the Grand Canal.

 The Doge's Palace was the
seat of Venice's government
for centuries.

1:15 pm

a medical boat passes
beneath a footbridge

A church is directly across
from "Snack Bar Al Cavallo,"
where we stopped for coffees
and to warm up.

3:51 pm: I scarf a
"picante kebab."

Dana at "Pizza e Kebab,"
just around the corner
from our hotel.

9:50 pm: Dana with her four cheese pizza at dinner.  Mine
was prosciutto and mozzarella.

Yes, another European city
has a business with the same
name as my hometown.