Venice Tourist Sites - The Castello And Sant' Elana Districts
Castello is the largest of Venice's districts, locally known as sestiere. It's in the east of Venice and, unlike some sestiere, people actually live there. A major feature is the Riva degli Schiavoni, a stone boardwalk running east from the Ducal Palace (in the San Marco district.) This lovely boardwalk owes its name to Slavic fishermen who worked this area in medieval times. Don't miss the Fifteenth Century Santa Maria della Visitazione Church often called La Pieta, rebuilt some two centuries later. Crane your neck to see some excellent frescoes on the ceiling. Vivaldi was concertmaster here, so the church sometimes serves as a concert hall. When you realize that the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) that crosses the Rio di Palazzo connects the Doges' Palace with the prisons across the river, you'll know where it gets its Seventeenth Century name. Slightly south is the Ponte della Paglia.
The Museo Storico Navale of Venice is Italy's most important naval museum. It is situated in a Sixteenth Century barn. If you have any interest whatsoever in naval history plan to spend a lot of time at this excellent museum.
North of the Pieta is the relatively quiet Campo San Zaccaria, home to a church of that name, whose initial foundation dates back to the Ninth Century and subsequently transformed during the Renaissance. As you walk down its aisles note paintings that represent the daily life of Venice and religious scenes. Other district churches include the Sixteenth Century Greek Orthodox Church of San Giorgio dei Greci featuring a frescoed hemispherical dome and the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, whose construction started in the mid-Fourteenth Century and completed a mere century later. This is Venice's principal Dominican Church, and one of the largest churches in the city. After the Fifteenth Century all Venice's Doges (twenty five, if you are keeping count) were buried here.
To the south lies the San Giorgio Maggiore Island. This island has hosted a church since the Eighth Century, and is home to a Tenth Century Benedictine monastery, closed to the public. So you'll have to console yourself with one of Venice's finest churches, San Giorgio Maggiore, built in the mid-Sixteenth Century by Andrea Palladio, arguably the greatest architect in history. Its chapel hosts works by Tintoretto among others. The campanile offers one of the finest views of Venice.
Sant'Elena is a small district at the eastern tip of Venice. It was formerly an island but the lagoon has been filled in. A major feature of this distinctive, tranquil area is the Sant'Elena Church built in the late Twelfth Century. This church is also a monastery, home first to Augustinian clergy and then to Olivetan monks. During the French Revolution it was transformed into a barracks, a bakery, and an iron foundry, and many valuable paintings were destroyed. The church was restored in 1915 but its bell tower was restored only in 1958, making it Venice's newest campanale.
This district is proud of its beautiful Public Gardens and the Biennale Pavillons, which hosts an International Art Exhibition every second year from June to November featuring Contemporary Art and Architecture from some 40 nations. The large Parco delle Rimembranze is home to Stadio Pierluigi Penzo, the city's football (soccer) stadium. The park also includes children's play areas and a skating rink. Close to Sant'Elena sits the little island of San Pietro, home to the Sixteenth Century Basilica di San Pietro di Castello, which served as Venice's Cathedral until 1807. The magnificent architect Andrea Palladio, considered by many to be the greatest ever, received his first commission in the city of Venice to rebuild this church's facade and interior. After St. Marks Basilica became the city's cathedral (hence no longer the Doge's private church) San Pietro declined. It was firebombed during World War I. But the building and its environs are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Despite its name the island of Giudecca south of Venice was never the city's Jewish quarter; the ghetto was in the northern sestiere of Cannaregio. Giudecca was once home to the wealthy but later became working class. Its skyline is dominated by the Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore (Church of the Most Holy Redeemer), a Sixteenth Century church designed by Palladio to thank God for deliverance from the plague. Every year the Doge (Venice's head honcho) and senators crossed a specially designed pontoon bridge to attend mass here. You might want to cross this bridge on the third Saturday and Sunday of July for the Festa del Redentore, a major Venetian festival with great fireworks.
About the Author
Levi Reiss authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books but he really prefers drinking fine wine with the right foods. He loves teaching computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his Italian travel, wine, and food website http://www.travelitalytravel.com and other sites for the scoop on Italian hotels, off-beat attractions, and festivals.
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