Basilica di San Marco
The Basilica di San Marco (open Mon-Sat and Sun pm; closed am on holidays; entrance fee for some parts) is named after the evangelist St. Mark whose remains were recovered (or stolen, depending on your viewpoint) by the Venetians from Alexandria in the 9th century. The then ruler of Venice, Doge Giustiniano Participazio, built a church on this site to house the remains. The original church was destroyed by fire a hundred years later, and was replaced at the end of the 11th century by the huge ornate edifice we see today.

The sumptuous fa?ade has five portals decorated with shimmering mosaics. The only original mosaic - in the doorway to the far left-gives a good idea of the appearance of the basilica in the 13th century. Above the main portal are replicas of the famous bronze horses, thought to be Roman or Hellenistic works of the 3rd or 4th century AD and looted by the Venetians from Constantinople in 1204. They were taken to Paris by Napaleon in 1797 and returned in 1815, and are now kept inside the basilica, protected from pigeons and pollution.

The sumptuous atmosphere of the interior is enhanced by the decoration of the walls: marble slabs cover the lower part, while golden mosaics adorn the vaults, arches and domes. Following a complex iconographic plan, the mosaics cover 4,000 sq. metres (43,000 sq.ft), which is why St. Mark's is sometimes called the Basilica d'Oro (Church of Gold).

The Grand Canal
"The great street of Venice", as Henry James prosaically described the Canal Grande (Grand Canal), winds for some 3.5 km (2 miles) through the city. This splendid shimmering thoroughfare is flanked by pastel-coloured palaces in a mixture of Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance and baroque styles, built mostly between the 13th and the 18th centuries.

The best way to see the canal is from a boat. If you are feeling flush, hire a gondola from the San Marco waterfront.