Campo San Giacomo dall'Orio
The
word "cozy" (or "cosy," if you're British) might be the most appropriate
adjective for the Campo San Giacomo
dall'Orio, at least during the daytime when
kids are playing, pensioners are sunning themselves on the park benches,
half-liter-size dogs are scurrying around like rats, and locals are
shopping at the small Coop supermarket across from the pretty little
Chiesa di San Giacomo dall'Orio (or "dell'Orio," if you aren't
partial to Venetian dialect).
According to
Chorus Venezia, the city's church association, the Chiesa
was founded in the 9th Century and is one of the oldest churches in
Venice. We like Saint James (to use the English equivalent of
Giacomo) because it's intimate and unpretentious, with a
wooden "ship's keel" ceiling and bits of Byzantine treasure scattered
about. (Click
here for interior photos.)
On this page, we've provided two satellite images to
help you find the Campo San Giocamo dall'Orio and its church:
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In the top photo, you can see the campo as
a grey spot near the middle of the image, above the words "Calle de
le Oche." The
Campo San Polo is in the lower right
quadrant of the picture, and the
Santa Lucia Railroad Station is on the left and across the Grand
Canal. (You're likely to walk through the Campo San Giacomo
dall'Orio if you walk from the station to the
Rialto Bridge, which is just beyond the right edge of the
frame.)
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In the lower close-up photo, the church takes up the
middle of the square, with the Coop
supermarket just beyond it (behind the green awnings and
under the foliage-covered roof). The pedestrian thoroughfare on the
right leads to the popular Zucca
restaurant and, eventually, to the Rialto Bridge. In the
foreground, a small bridge links the campo to the
Corte dell'Anatomia, where
physicians and anatomy students carved up dead bodies in medieval
times.
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Note: After
dark, the Campo Giacomo dall'Orio takes on a more grown-up vibe as
young (and some not-so-young) adults settle into the campo's
handful of restaurants and bars. Tango argentino dancing is
popular in the summer, and other events--such as rock concerts and
outdoor barbecue during July's Festa
del Redentore--occasionally draw crowds to the square.
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