San Marco Square is the heart of Venice. For over thousand years it has been the central point of the city. Nowadays, thousands of tourists visit the square every day, and almost all of them fall in love with this amazing place surrounded by outstanding works of architecture. The uniqueness of the square was emphasized by Napoleon, who used to call it “the finest drawing room in Europe”. Indeed, if you want to touch history, you couldn’t find a better place!
The history of San Marco Square is very long and rich. It was founded in the 11th century. Around 100 years later the Rio Batario canal, which divided the Square in half, was filled in. In the 12th century, San Marco Basilica was crowned with splendid Byzantine domes. In the end of the 13th century, the Square was stoned and later the Basilica was adorned with peaked ornaments that gave it a Gothic character. In the end of the 15th century the outstanding Clock Tower was built by Mauro Codussi and 100 years later an architect called Sansovino made several important changes in the architectural style of San Marco Square. He finished the construction of Procuratie Vecchie, renovated the Campanile and the Basilica, reconstructed La Zecca and San Geminiano church, and built Libreria Marciana with arcades and loggias.
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