Venice Attractions

Venue: Piazza San Marco    When: Daily

One of the most famous and beautiful squares in the world, the Piazza San Marco is a magnet for tourists and pigeons alike. It is also at the heart of the historic city of Venice which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hugh Honour described the Piazza as "beautiful at all times of day or night and all seasons of the year. It is one of the few delicate works of architecture that can absorb a bustling vulgar crowd without loss of dignity; a great city square which retains a feeling of animation when there are few people in it."

St Mark's Square is called a piazza and not a campo to distinguish it from the city's other squares and to emphasis its singular beauty - it is quite unique as a place for strolling about in and as a gathering place.

Occupying the present area since the 12th century, in 1264 the square was paved in herringbone-pattern bricks: this was in fact the original paving style that used to line the streets and squares of Venice. The present-day paving stones date from 1723. Enclosed on three sides by the arcaded buildings of the Procurators, it was once a remarkable showcase for feasts, ceremonies, tournaments and fairs.