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What to see in Venice San Polo district
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San Polo district in Venice
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Rialto Bridge
This is the oldest bridge and spans the Grand Canal. It probably dates
back to 1172 and was originally in wood. In 1557 the Venetian Republic
put out a tender for rebuilting the bridge in stone. The architects who
competed for the tender includes Palladio and Sanmichieli. The tender
was awarded by Antonio da Ponte and in 1591 the bridge was inaugurated.
Palace of Camerlenghi
Located on the right of Rialto Bridge, the palace derives its name from
the Camerlenghi, officials who were responsible for raising revenue for
the Venetian Republic. The ground floor contained the cells of the tax
evaders.
Church of S. Giacometto
Perhaps the oldest church in Venice. It is still laid out in the form of
a Greek cross. Opposite, we have the'Gobbo di Rialto' which was built by
Pietro da Salò in 1541. Next to it, there is the 'Pietra del bando' from
which the decrees of the Venetian Republic were read out. This was the
commercial heart of Venice, where merchants met to hammer out their
agreements and where the Banco Giro was located. This bank was already
in existence in the twelfth century and enabled credit to circulate.
The Fabbriche Nuove
The Fabbriche Nuove were designed by Sansovino in 1555 and housed the
governament departments that supervised trade.
Church of S. Cassiano
The church may have been built in the tenth century. It contains
paintings by Jacopo Tintoretto and Andrea Schiavone
Church of S. Aponal
Dates back to the eleventh century and was built by a family that came
from Ravenna. Today it is deconsecrated and closed.
San Polo Square
It gives its name to the district. It was given its present appearance
in 1750 when Sant'Antonio canal was filled in. The palazzi that surround
it offer a fine view. Races, bullfights and masked carnival balls were
held here.
Church of San Polo (S.Paolo)
The present building is the result of different work done in the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Paintings by Tintoretto, Palma il
Giovane and Gian Domenico Tiepolo, with 14 canvases of the Stations of
the Cross.
Goldoni House
A fifteenth-century palazzo: it was probably here that the eighteenth
century playwright Carlo Goldoni was born. Today it is a theatre -museum
and contains documents on Goldoni's art and life.
Church of the Frari (Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari)
It was built in the fourteenth century by the Franciscans, who settled
in venice from about 1222. Rebuilt in the fifteenth century, it bears
witness to the Venetian Republic with paintings by Titian and Bellini.
It is an example of Gothic architecture from the middle of the fifteenth
century, and has one of the highest belltowers in Venice, which was
started in 1361.
Scuola Grande di San Rocco (Confraternity)
Located in the campo bearing the same name. It was founded in 1478 as a
charitable institution. The present building was started in 1489 and
finished in the sixteenth century by the architect Giangiacomo dei
Grigi. It is famous for a series of paintings by Tintoretto that adorn
the rooms. Next to the school there is the church, which is also
dedicated to San Rocco. It was built in the sixteenth century and was
renovated by Giovanni Scalfurotto in the eighteenth century.
Scuola Grande di S. Giovanni Evangelista (Confraternity)
This confraternity was founded in 1307. The headquarters was built in
the fifteenth century and in 1481 the Bottega dei Lombardi built the
impressive gateway in Renaissance style. In 1512 Mauro Codussi rebuilt
the great internal staircase. After the school was suppressed by the
napoleonic edicts of 1806 it was acquired by private individuals in 1856
and is still a confraternity today.
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