Campo San Polo
The
second-largest square in Venice, after the Piazza San Marco, is the
Campo San Polo on
the left or western side of the Grand Canal. The campo (the
word means "field" in Italian) is on the main pedestrian route between
the Rialto Bridge and the
Accademia Bridge, and there's a
good chance that you'll cut through it if you're walking toward Rialto
from the Piazzale Roma or the
Ferrovia (a.k.a. Venice's
Santa Lucia Railroad Station).
Because most pedestrians cut across the top of the
square on their way from Rialto to the sestiere of Dorsoduro,
the campo itself often has a neighborhood feel. If you come in
the morning, before 8 a.m., you're likely to see Venetian dog owners
chatting with each other while their dogs run around off-leash. Later in
the day, the park benches are likely to be occupied by old people or
mothers of young children.
The Campo San Polo has only a few shops and restaurants,
nearly all of them on the square's southern flank. At the northern end,
however, the Birraria La
Corte attracts tourists and locals alike to its renovated 16th
Century building, which was a barn for bulls during the heyday of the
Venetian Republic. (See the restaurant-pizzeria's English-language
history page for
more about the Birraria and the campo.)
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In the top photo below, you can see the Campo San
Polo's location near the Grand Canal. (If necessary, click
"Overhead" beneath "Sat" in the picture to look straight down on the
campo from above.)
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The second photo is a close-up
view of the square, with red umbrellas of the Birraria La Corte in
the upper right corner and the
Chiesa di San Polo
in the foreground. The church's entrance is
to the left of the square, on the main pedestrian route.
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Note: During
late summer, movies are shown outdoors in the Campo San Polo. At
other times of the year, the square may have an ice rink, carousel,
outdoor market, or other temporary structures, so don't be surprised
if you see modern-looking objects in the Google satellite photos
below.
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