Not the San Marco Lion--but a gorgeous model |
A hint of Canaletto |
The crowning jewel of St. Mark's Square is the Basilica San Marco. The title basilica means the relics of a saint lie there. In this case, St. Mark's body. It was brought here in 828 from Alexandria, Egypt. The church was built to showcase its precious relics.
Bit by bit, the church was built between the 11th and 15th century and is an exquisite blend of Byzantine gold, Gothic spires, Romanesque round arches and Islamic domes.
Although being restored, you can see the myriad architectural influences |
I didn't give you a close-up, but look at those columns |
As impressive as the basilica is, the columns intrigued me. As I said before, the buildings are constructed with lightweight brick. However, all of them are faced with marble. The colors of these columns defied my imagination. I think of marble as statuary white. These were pink and green and blue. Beautiful.
The basilica joins the Doge's Palace. The doge was a magistrate, elected for life.
Note the risers. Although it rained, we didn't flood |
Our guide showed us a picture of one tourist who sat in the outdoor dining room of one cafe. Water lapped his chest. Incredible, crazy tourists.
just a hint of detail |
love in Piazza San Marco |
note the lion of San Marco (And the seagulls) |
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