St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace are the two places-symbols par excellence of the lagoon city and tell a history spanning one thousand two hundred years. World-renowned UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the destination of millions of visitors, they remain the beating heart of the city: indispensable historical sites and places that have continued to impress and excite for centuries.
With this tour, you will visit the two most famous Venetian monuments accompanied by an experienced and qualified guide who will show you the exteriors and interiors of St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, two separate buildings that nevertheless form a whole. Throughout the duration of the Republic of Venice, in fact, Basilica and Palace were state buildings.
There is no better way than a joint visit to understand its history, architecture, art, and functions.
The Basilica of San Marco
La Basilica of St. Mark is closely connected with the origins of the city. Begun after the daring abduction of the remains of the evangelist Mark in the 9th century, it went through numerous phases of construction and its decoration spanned centuries. The marbles that characterize its facades and the mosaics of the interior tell us of its turbulent connection with the ancient eastern capital: Constantinople. As soon as one enters, one feels immersed in the gold of the more than four thousand square meters of mosaics; one does not know where to rest one’s eyes in this complex space decorated in every millimeter. The splendor of the Serenissima and its strong declaration of independence find their fullest expression here.
The Ducal Palace
The Ducal Palace was only minimally the residence of the doge: the rooms were used primarily for state government, sophisticated Venetian diplomacy, the administration of justice, and prisons. While the exterior is considered a veritable book of stone, the interior-with its vast rooms-can overwhelm with the quantity of paintings and sculptures found there: a succession of rooms in which the pageantry is functional in celebrating not a family or ruler, but the state and its power. Here the greatest painters of the Venetian school worked to contribute to the greatness of the Serenissima, such as Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto, to name only the most illustrious.
After visiting the institutional halls, we cross the Bridge of Sighs to arrive at the Palace of the New Prisons and explore the places of imprisonment of the Serenissima, where justice was administered with severity and intransigence.
Customizable
Contact us to customize your tour. Are you short on time? We can do a quicker tour. Are you curious and passionate about history? Ask us for a more in-depth tour.
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