Two grey-and-rose granite columns stand where the Piazzetta meets the lagoon, framing the arrival by water. Tradition credits their raising to the engineer Nicolò Barattieri in the twelfth century, after the monoliths had reportedly lain…
Venice Stone Lions and Beasts
This walking route leads you on a visual treasure hunt to find the carved animals, mythical monsters, and symbolic lions decorating Venice's walls. You will learn the civic legends and quirky folklore hidden in medieval stonework as you explore.
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1. Colonna di San Todaro
2. Carta Gate
The Porta della Carta sits between the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica as a tall, ornate gateway of white Istrian marble. Giovanni and Bartolomeo Bon built the structure between fourteen thirty-eight and fourteen forty-two,…
3. Piazzetta dei Leoncini
The Piazzetta dei Leoncini is a small, elevated square on the north side of Saint Mark’s Basilica, recognizable by the pair of crouching lions carved from red marble. These figures, created by sculptor Giovanni Bonazza in seventeen…
4. Pozzo Santa Maria Formosa
A cylindrical stone wellhead from seventeen fifty-five sits in the middle of the Campo Santa Maria Formosa. It is carved from Istrian stone, the durable, pale material that forms the bones of Venice and its countless water-collecting…
5. Scuola Grande di San Marco
The Scuola Grande di San Marco is defined by a facade of deep, sculptural trompe l'oeil arches, niches, and marble-clad reliefs that seem to vibrate with light. This structure stands on the Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, where it has served…
6. Corte Seconda del Milion
The Corte Seconda del Milion is a quiet, secluded courtyard near the Rialto, identified by the Veneto-Byzantine stone carvings that decorate its archway. These carved motifs—featuring griffins, peacocks, flowers, and fruit—are among the…