The Lion, Campanile and Doge's Palace

The Campanile

Doge's Palace, Venice

A wide promenade, the Riva degli Schiavoni, runs along the water's edge from the Doge's Palace to the Arsenal, the shipbuilding yards of Venice.

 
 

Gondolas on the Riva degli Schiavoni

 

A stroll along the promenade takes you past the Vitorrio Emmanuel II monument.

 
 

Vittorio Emanuel II Monument

The Tourist, a 2010 movie starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, was filmed at the nearby Hotel Danieli.

 
 

Floral Display at the Hotel Danieli

If you encounter a crowd atop a small bridge, they have stopped to admire Il Ponte dei Sospiri, or the Bridge of Sighs.

 
 

Bridge of Sighs

 
The bridge was named by Lord Byron for the sighs of prisoners as they took their last look at freedom, and the beauty of Venice, before being led to the Doge's prison. Giacomo Casanova was the prison's most famous captive - and he managed to escape.

The Doge's Prison

Beyond Venice in the lagoon, the island of Murano is famous for its glass blowing factories. The factories were located outside of Venice to protect the population from the dangers of fire, and also to protect the glass makers' secrets.

The Island of Murano

The Lighthouse of Murano

The Art of Glass Blowing

Piazzetta di San Marco

St. Mark's Basilica

Another lion keeps watch from St. Mark's Clock Tower.

St. Mark's Clock Tower

Astronomical Clock

Beneath the Clock Tower is an archway which leads to the Mercerie, the main shopping street of Venice that runs between Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge.

Clock Tower Archway

On the central peak of the basilica, a statue of St. Mark stands over the bronze horses looted from Constantinople during the Crusades. Centuries later, Napoleon sent the horses to Paris to sit on top of the Arc de Triomphe. The original horses are now inside the basilica - the ones outside are copies.

The Domes of St. Mark's

Statue of St. Mark

The Horses of St. Mark's

The Winged Lion of St. Mark