Venice’s greatest concentration of sights can be found in these neighbouring districts, at the geographical heart of Venice, having grown up around the ancient core of Rialto where the first inhabitants settled. Here, glorious churches, landmark monuments and breathtaking palaces are all saturated in history. Essential sights include Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco where Tintoretto demonstrated his genius on sumptuous canvases, and the morning bustle of Rialto market. The squares of San Polo and San Giacomo dell’Orio are both full of cafés and benches for resting weary feet.
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Morning
Drink your fill of Tintoretto’s dynamic paintings at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco before wandering east to Campo San Polo . Coffee is a must in the square, either at one of the local bars or at the attractive Antica Birraria La Corte .
It’s not far from here to Rialto Market for late morning bargains of fresh produce, often nearing half price when stall-holders are in a hurry to shut up shop. If this has worked up an appetite, a Grand Canal-side lunch is worth consideration at this point. There is a string of eateries spread along the sun-blessed Riva del Vin, close to the foot of Rialto Bridge. Each displays live lobster and fish and multi-lingual menus. In winter diners sit in see-through “tents” so that views of the canal and the procession of boats are ensured.
Afternoon
Make your way north and explore the craft and gift shops, lace, scarf and T-shirt stalls along Ruga Rialto and the old red-light area of Rio Terrà Rampani .
Try to end up in pretty Campo San Giacomo dell’Orio for a pre-dinner drink at Al Prosecco wine bar (Campo S Giacomo dell’Orio, S Croce 1503 041 524 02 22 Closed Sun). Ask for the fruity red Refosco from Friuli and bocconcino con mortadella di cinghiale (bite-sized roll with wild boar slice).
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Grilled meat and veg, along with pizza and fish.
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Lively eatery with youthful clientele and great pizzas served in the garden.
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Canalside setting and home-style Venetian cooking, such as polpette (meatballs).
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Delectable pizzas named after the city’s bridges feature at this ultra-modern eatery set in a former brewery. There is also a pleasant, tree-shaded patio.
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In an old covered passageway long home to the Rialto Market goldsmiths is a young designer who makes limited-edition necklaces.
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Named after either a bay tree, wolves or a canal depending on your source, this picturesque quintessential square, well off the beaten track, sports plane trees, benches for relaxing and patches of grass. Modest surrounding palaces are home to Venice University’s architectural faculties. The laid-back air and abundance of eateries and coffee shops make it very inviting, and there’s no lack of subjects for photographers or artists.
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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.
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People usually hurry through this square en route to the bus terminal, oblivious to its quiet charm. Interest starts with the curious loggia on the western canal edge, then there’s the attractive plain church named for San Giovanni Decollato or St John the Beheaded, depicted with flowing curly locks in a stone bas-relief on the southern wall. Inside the simple Veneto-Byzantine building are lovely 13th-century frescoes, an unusual survivor for damp old Venice.
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This impressive Oriental Art Collection is an eclectic mix of 19th-century curiosities from all over the Far East. Exhibits include armour, porcelain and costumes, dainty lacquerwork boxes and musical instruments. The neigh-bouring modern art gallery in monumental Ca’ Pesaro (see Fondaco dei Turchi and Ca’ Pesaro Galleria d’Arte Moderna) has also recently reopened after restructuring.
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Restaurant price categories
For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
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