Venice's Waterfront
(St. Mark's Basin)
From:
Venice's Top 11 Free Sights
ABOVE: A view of St. Mark's Basin after a 15- or
20-minute stroll up the waterfront promenade, with the bell towers of San
Giorgio Maggiore on the left and San Marco on the right.
As
you leave the Piazza San Marco and the Piazzetta (the branch of St. Mark's
Square that leads past the Doge's Palace to the water), turn left and follow the
Riva degli Schiavoni, the first section of the waterfront promenade that
runs continuously (with several name changes) to the Giardini Pubblici park and
beyond.
 Along
the way, you'll pass the Zaccaria and Pieta waterbus platforms. Zaccaria is a
major stop for several Actv vaporetto lines;
Pieta (shown in the inset photo) is the turnaround station for double-deck
pedestrian ferries that connect central Venice with suburbs on the Lido and
points beyond.
 If
you're lucky, you may see one or more ships tied up along the waterfront:
possibly a river vessel like CroisiEurope's Michelangelo (shown at
right), or perhaps a yacht, a sailing ship like the Italian Naval Academy's
Amerigo Vespucci, or a small ocean cruiser.
 You'll
also pass hotels, cafés, exhibition venues, and--after 15 or 20 minutes--the
site behind the public gardens where the Biennale di Venezia art
exhibition takes place during odd-numbered years.
Unless you're pressed for time, keep going until you reach Sant'Elena, a
relatively modern 19th and early 20th Century residential neighborhood with
parks, the city's football stadium, and a marina.
Related article:
St. Mark's Basin by the Numbers
Next page:
Grand Canal
| 
Durant
& Cheryl
Imboden's
