Explorer Venise

The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges across the Grand Canal, linking the San Marco and San Polo districts. The present single-span stone bridge was designed by Antonio da Ponte and built in 1588–1591, replacing earlier wooden bridges. Two ramps lined with rows of shops lead up to a central portico.

St Mark's Square is the main square of Venice, enclosed by St Mark's Basilica, the arcaded Procuratie Vecchie and Procuratie Nuove and, at its western end, the Napoleonic Wing. With the Piazzetta that opens to the lagoon beside the Doge's Palace, it forms the religious and political centre of the city, overlooked by the 98.6-metre campanile.

The Bridge of Sighs is an enclosed white limestone bridge over the Rio di Palazzo, linking the Doge's Palace with the New Prison. Designed by Antonio Contin and built soon after 1600, it has two small windows with stone bars. Visitors cross it on the Doge's Palace route and see it from the Ponte della Paglia.

Santa Maria della Salute is a domed Baroque basilica at the entrance to the Grand Canal, vowed by the Venetian Republic after the plague of 1630. Designed by Baldassare Longhena and begun in 1631, it has an octagonal plan under a large dome. The sacristy holds paintings by Titian and Tintoretto's Marriage at Cana.

San Giorgio Maggiore is a Benedictine church on the island of the same name, facing St Mark's Basin across the water from the Piazzetta. Designed by Andrea Palladio and built between 1566 and 1610, it has a white classical facade and a bright interior; the presbytery holds Tintoretto's Last Supper and The Gathering of the Manna.

The Venetian Arsenal is the former state shipyard and armoury of the Republic of Venice, in the Castello district, enclosed by crenellated brick walls and towers. Its land gate, the Porta Magna of about 1460, is flanked by marble lions brought from Piraeus in 1687. Parts of the complex are used by the Italian Navy and as Venice Biennale venues.