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Castello is the largest of the six districts (sestiere) of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Venice, Italy. Although we stayed in Castello just off Campo Santa Maria Formosa, we didn’t really explore it until our last two days in the city.
Riva degli Schiavoni
The most popular place in Castello is the scenic waterfront, Riva degli Schiavoni, which a promenade that extends from in front of the Doge’s Palace. It was developed in the 9th century from dredged silt and named for the Slavic men who unload their cargo there after crossing the Adriatic.
Starting around the 15th century, Riva degli Schiavoni became a popular market area. After Slavs and Greeks moved into the area, they used the promenade to sell meat and dried fish.
Today, the promenade is a popular tourist attraction where souvenirs can be found as well as several hotels and restaurants. The San Zaccaria ferry terminal is an important vaporetto stop, and there are also several gondolas lined up there.
One building of note is the Hotel Danieli, which started life as Palazzo Dandolo. It was built near the end of the 14th century by the Dandolo family and now hosts one of the most lavish hotels in Venice.
Also on Riva degli Schiavoni is an equestrian monument to Vittorio Emanuele II by Ettore Ferrari. It was erected in 1887.
Hospital
After a day trip to Burano and Torcello, we walked from the Fondamente Nove ferry terminal in Cannaregio through Castello back to our hotel. The first part of the walk took us past the massive Hospital of Saints John and Paul (Ospedale Santi Giovanni e Paolo). We were able to see some of the ambulance boats docked outside.
Zanipolo
Right next to the hospital is another huge building, the Basilica of Saints John and Paul (Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo), more commonly known as Zanipolo. It was built between 1333 and 1430 and contains the tombs of 25 Doges of Venice. In fact, the funeral for every Doge was held there after the 15th century. Admission is €3.50 (as of August 2023). It was too close to closing time so we didn’t visit.
An equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni stands next to Zanipolo. It was sculpted by Andrea del Verrocchio from 1480-1488. Colleoni (1400-1475) was a powerful Captain General of the Venetian army.
Scuola Grande di San Marco
Also next to Zanipolo is the Scuola Grande di San Marco, one of the six great charity organizations of Venice. Originally built in 1260, it burned down in 1485 and was rebuilt by architect Pietro Lombardo, opening around 20 years later. In 1819, it became an Austrian military hospital and is currently a civic hospital.
Campo Santa Marina
From there, we walked along the canals and came upon Campo Santa Marina, a quiet square with a couple wells, a few shops and restaurants, and a hotel.
Church of San Lorenzo
On our last day, we walked past the Church of San Lorenzo (Chiesa di San Lorenzo), which dates back to the 9th century. It was rebuilt from 1580 to 1616. Rumor has it that Marco Polo was buried there, but it’s more likely he was buried at the Church of San Sebastiano (Chiesa di San Sebastiano), which no longer exists.
Palazzo Grimani
Finally, near Campo Santa Maria Formosa is Palazzo Grimani. Built starting in the Middle Ages, it was acquired by Antonio Grimani, who later became Doge in 1521. The Grimani family owned it until 1865. It changed hands several times until it became a state property in 1981. The building underwent an extensive restoration to return it to its former glory, and it was finally opened to the public on December 20, 2008 as the Palazzo Grimani Museum (Museo di Palazzo Grimani). Admission is €14 (as of August 2023) and it’s open daily except Mondays. We weren’t able to visit.
More…
Other places we visited in Castello include the Church of San Zaccaria and the Church of Saint George of the Greeks. I’ll leave you with a few more photos of our wanderings through Castello:
