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Now a tranquil residential square, in the 13th century it saw plenty of action when the sisters of a Cistercian convent gained a riotous reputation. Under Napoleon an archive of city affairs took over the building.

Nowadays a modest square dotted with some low-key bars, its main attraction is a colourful moored barge loaded high with shiny fresh fruit and vegetables – a must for photographers. Its history has not always been so peaceful, however – the square used to be the arena for fierce rivalries between the city’s working class bands, the Nicolotti and Castellani, who would fight it out on the Ponte dei Pugni (see Ponte dei Pugni). On a more forgiving note, the rather nondescript church used to take in disgraced and bankrupt nobility.

This lovely square undergoes a series of transformations, from attractive theatre or dance area during Carnival, to open-air cinema through the summer months, and playground for bicycle- and scooter-mad kids the rest of the year. It has never been particularly quiet – it was once a venue for bullfights and bird-netting, extravagant parties with fireworks displays and even crime. In 1548 Florentine writer in hiding Lorenzino de’ Medici was stabbed to death here on orders from the great Cosimo de’ Medici. It was punishment for the assassination of Cosimo’s cousin Duke Alessandro, which brought the Medici line to an end.

This spacious, elegant square is edged by cafés with smart, white-jacketed waiters and colourful awnings. Its most regular inhabitants seem to be unhurried pigeons, pecking around the ornate lampposts, and local children at play watched over by nannies and doting grandparents. Pride of place in the centre goes to a statue of Niccolò Tommaseo, patriot and author of the Risorgimento . At Carnival time a lively outdoor craft market is held here, although it is not quite up to the level of merrymaking seen here in olden times when there were magnificent balls and bull-fights. The latter events ended in 1802 when a stand collapsed on spectators.

A wonderful square, bustling with life day and night thanks to its market stalls and outdoor cafés. An added bonus is its many architectural styles (see Campo Santa Margherita).

A lovely rounded church on this sun-blessed square appears to spread in all directions, the result of a 7th-century bishop’s vision of the “shapely” (formosa ) Virgin Mary’s request it be built where “a white cloud came to rest”. Artworks are by Vivarini and Palma il Vecchio. The square is a good place for a picnic or a game of football, in lieu of the bullfights and re-enactments of Venice’s conquests held here in olden days.