San Francesco della Vigna is the northern area of the Castello district, the easternmost part of the city, which extends beyond Piazza San Marco, a Venice not always known, but certainly not less beautiful and interesting from the historical point of view.
San Francesco Church is its heart. It was projected by Jacopo Sansovino , while its classic façade was designed by Andrea Palladio, it has lots of paintings and sculptures (Paolo Veronese, Giovanni Bellini, Antonio da Negroponte) and two wonderful cloisters, an ideal place to rest , away from the “hussle and bussle” of the town centre, in the shade of cypresses.
In the adjacent “campo”, during the week of June 13th, the Feast of Sant’Antonio takes place, a characteristic popular festival of the neightborhood with music, dancins and gastronomic specialties.
In the nearby Campo della Celestia, Campo Santa Ternita, Compo Due Pozzi, meeting places for children to play and rest and chat for the elderly, you can experience glimpses of other times venetial life. Corte dea Vida (vineyard) and Ramo dea Vida report at the time when the entire area was occupied by vineyards.
Salizada San Francesco, where Casa dei Bombardieri faces, is the commercial heart of the quarter, with all grocery stores ad others for everyday life (do not miss a visit to Ortis et la Beppa).
The Confraternita dei Bombardieri, the workers who in the nearby Arsenale built the bombards for the ships, also built this building in 1575. On the façade of the house, at the entrance to Sottoportego dei Bombardieri and behind in Calle dei Bombardieri, there are still 4 bas-reliefs showing Santa Barbara, their protrectress.
In 1598 they also ordered the construction of an altar in the Santa Maria Formosa Church with the altar-piece of Palma il Vecchio representing Santa Barbara.
Important places of cultural and historical interest at only few minutes walk from San Francesco are:
1 minute walk:
- Church San Francesco della Vigna
4 minutes:
- Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni (with Carpaccio’s paintings)
- Ortodox Church San Giorgio dei Greci
- Museum of Icons
5 minutes:
- Church and Campo San Giovanni in Bragora (where Vivaldi was baptized
- Chuch of Pietà
- Arsenale
- Naval History Museum
8 minutes:
- Church and Campo San Giovanni e Paolo
- Church and Campo Santa Maria Formosa
10 minuti:
- Biennale Exposition
- San Marco Square, San Marco Basilic, San Marco bell tower
- Ducale Palace and Bridge of Sights
15 minuti
- Rialto Bridge
- Rialto market
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