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San Polo is the smallest of the six districts of Venice, Italy. We only spent a small amount of time there during our stay in the UNESCO World Heritage city.
Introduction to San Polo
San Polo, which is named for the Church of San Polo, is one of the oldest areas in Venice. It was settled before the 9th century and has been home to the city’s main market since 1097. It’s known for its churches, artisan shops, and architecture along the Grand Canal as well as its high concentration of bàcari, which are typical Venetian taverns.
We really enjoyed getting lost in the maze of alleys and crossing tiny bridges while wandering through San Polo. Our exploration took us from the east end of the district at the Rialto Market all the way to Dorsoduro.
Rialto Market
One of the most interesting places in San Polo is the Rialto Market (Mercato di Rialto), which is the main market district of Venice. It sits on the east side of the district near the Rialto Bridge. When it was settled before the 9th century, this area on both sides of the Rio Businiacus, which eventually became the Grand Canal, was known as the Rivoaltus, or high bank. The Rialto referred to the area on the left bank.
The Rialto transformed in 1097 when the city’s main market moved there. It quickly grew as a retail and wholesale space and several warehouses were built. Luxury shops, banks, insurance agencies, and tax offices also popped up, and the city’s slaughterhouse was also there. Most of the buildings in the Rialto were destroyed by fire in 1514. The area rebuilt over time and it’s still a busy retail market today.
Erberia
The Erberia, or Erbaria, is the fruit and vegetable market of the Rialto. This is a great place to see vendors selling colorful piles of fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
Pescaria
Next is my favorite part of Rialto Market, the Pescaria, or Pescheria, which is the fish market. It’s held in under two different structures. We went through the building right on the Grand Canal first, watching fishmongers sell the catch of the day to local Venetians.
The building just behind it is labeled “Mercato del Pesce al Minuto”. It’s a long hall supported by three rows of columns. Inside are several fish stalls but most of them had cleaned up for the day by the time we arrived.
We ended up passing by a few more fishmongers on the street along the building to see more mouth-watering sea creatures.
Beccaria
The Beccaria, also Beccarie or Beccherie, is the meat market. It’s the only section of the Rialto Market we didn’t visit.
Campo San Polo
Campo San Polo is at the heart of the district. It’s the second largest public square in Venice after Piazza San Marco. The square was originally dedicated to agriculture and grazing but was paved in 1493. After that, it was used for markets, fairs, and large public gatherings, and was eventually the scene of masked balls and bull hunts. All those events were banned in 1611 and the poor people’s market moved there from Piazza San Marco in the 17th century. Lorenzino de’ Medici (1514-1548) was assassinated at Campo San Polo in 1548.
Campo San Polo is surrounded by palazzos and a church and there’s a fountain in the center. When we passed through, there was a small Christmas market and an ice skating rink.
Church of San Polo
On the southwest corner of the square is the apse of the Church of San Polo (Chiesa di San Polo). It dates back to the 15th century but there has been a church on the site since at least 837. The bell tower was built in 1362 and is detached from the church. Inside, you’ll find paintings by Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770), Giandomenico Tiepolo (1727-1804), Tintoretto (1518-1594), and others. Admission is €3.50 (as of August 2024) or free for holders of the Chorus Pass. Unfortunately it was closed when we walked by.
Campo San Tomà
Wandering through the alley west from Campo San Polo and across a few more bridges, you’ll come to Campo San Tomà. On the north side of this small square is the Scholetta dei Calegheri, which became the school for the shoemakers and cobblers guild in 1446.
Church of San Tomà
On the south side is the Church of San Tomà (Chiesa di San Tomà), which is named for St. Thomas the Apostle. It was completed in 1395 but there has been a church on the site since the 10th century. It was refurbished in the Baroque style by Giuseppe Sardi (1624-1699) in 1652 using a design by Baldassare Longhena (1598-1682). Francesco Bognolo redesigned the façade in 1742 and added two statues. 14th century war hero and senator Giovanni Priuli (d. 1375) lies in a sarcophagus attached to an exterior wall.
The Church San Tomà was a parish church until 1810 and was administered by the Franciscans from 1835 to 1867. After that, it passed to the state and was used as an oratory. The church was deconsecrated before 1970 and converted to a workshop for the restoration of paintings. It’s now used for services and functions of the Neocatechumenal Way.
Campo dei Frari
A short walk north is Campo dei Frari, which is surrounded by historic buildings and has a canal running along the east side. It’s named for the huge church that dominates the square.
Basilica dei Frari
The Basilica dei Frari (Basilica of the Friars), officially the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (Basilica of Glorious Saint Mary of the Friars), is one of the most important churches in Venice. The Venetian Gothic structure well worth visiting for its impressive funerary monuments and artwork.
The Basilica dei Frari was built between 1250 and 1338 on land donated by Doge Jacopo Tiepolo (1170-1249). The façade was completed in 1440. The bell tower, completed in 1396, is the second tallest in the city after the Campanile of St. Mark’s Basilica. General admission to the church is €5 (as of August 2024). Audio tours are available in five languages at the entrance for a small fee. It’s open daily and photography is allowed without flash.
Nave of the Basilica dei Frari
As soon as I entered the dimly lit building, I was taken aback by the sheer size of it. It doesn’t look nearly as big from the outside and I didn’t expect the open space of the nave and huge columns just inside the doors. Besides that, there’s so much to see that it’s easy to miss a lot of the important works.
Monuments at the Basilica dei Frari
Several tombs and monuments decorate the sides of the nave and the counter-façade. To the left is the monument to Alvise Pasqualigo (d. 1528), who was a Procurator of San Marco. On the right is the monument to Pietro Bernardo (d. 1538) by sculptor Tullio Lombardo (c. 1455-1532). Above the door on the counter-façade is the monument to Girolamo Garzoni, who died in the siege of Negroponte (the island of Euboea in Greece) in 1688. Above the monuments are paintings depicting the Stories of the Franciscan Saints by Flaminio Floriano.
On the right aisle of the nave is the grand monument to Italian painter Titian (c. 1488-1576). It was commissioned by Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I in 1838 and carved between 1843 and 1852 by Luigi (1778-1850) and Pietro Zandomeneghi (1806-1886). Because it was completed under Austrian rule, the monument features the Lion of Saint Mark clutching the Habsburg coat of arms.
On the left aisle of the nave is the pyramid tomb of sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822). It was completed in 1827.
To the right of Canova’s tomb is the monument to Doge Giovanni Pesaro (1589-1659). He was the 103rd Doge of Venice, serving from 1658 until his death a year later. The monument was completed in 1669 and features four gigantic moors on the bottom supporting the rest of the monument. A statue of Pesaro addressing the crowd from a throne flanked by dragons is at the center.
Choir
Next, I visited the choir, which is separated from the nave by an impressive marble septo created by Pietro Lombardo (1435-1515) and his workshop in 1475. It features relief busts of the patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament and is the only choir screen in Venice.
The choir is a magnificent work carved by Francesco and Marco Cozzi of Vicenza and completed in 1468. There are 124 stalls and the organs sit above them.
Apse
Just past the choir is the apse, which contains a chapel commissioned by the Pesaro family in 1478. It features a painting of The Assumption by Titian, completed between 1516 and 1518 and framed in marble. The painting was removed in 1817 and bounced around a bit before returning to its original location on August 13, 1945. To the left is the tomb of Doge Nicolò Tron (c. 1399-1473) created by Antonio Rizzo of Verona between 1476 and 1480. To the right is the tomb of Doge Francesco Foscari (1373-1457) created by Niccolò di Giovanni Fiorentino (1418-1506) in 1457.
Sacristy
On the wall of the right transept is the entrance to the sacristy, which is surrounded by more monuments. To the left is the equestrian monument to Paolo Savelli, a Venetian general who died of the plague in 1405 during the siege of Padua. It was carved out of wood in the first quarter of the 15th century and attributed to Jacopo della Quercia (c. 1374-1438). To the right is the monument to Blessed Pacificus (1424-1482), originally created in 1437 for Scipione Bon by Nanni di Bartolo. Above the entrance is the monument to Benedetto Pesaro (1430-1503), who was the commander-in-chief of the Venetian navy. It was created in 1503 by Lorenzo (1475/85-1523) and Giambattista Bregno (d. 1523).
Inside the sacristy are a few impressive paintings, but the most important is the Madonna with Child and Saints by Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430-1516) in 1488, which sits on the altar.
Just opposite the entrance is the Altar of the Relics, which was created in 1711 by Francesco Penso (c. 1665-1737). It holds a crystal vase supposedly containing a few drops of Christ’s blood collected by Mary Magdalene. The relic originally belonged to a church in Constantinople (now Istanbul).
Chapter House
Finally, inside the chapter house, where the friars held meetings, is the monument to Doge Francesco Dandolo (d. 1339). It contains a painting created by Paolo Veneziano in 1339 depicting Saint Francis and Saint Elizabeth of Hungary presenting the Doge and his wife to the Virgin. The sarcophagus, which was once covered entirely in gold, contains a relief of the Death of the Virgin surrounded by the apostles. It’s the last remaining of what were once many monuments in the chapter house. From the chapter house I was also able to peek through a window into the cloister.
Campo San Rocco
Behind the Basilica dei Frari is the beautiful Campo San Rocco. This small square contains two important buildings well worth visiting.
Church of San Rocco
The Church of San Rocco (Chiesa di San Rocco), which is on the north side, is a plague church built between 1489 and 1508 by architect Bartolomeo Bon (d. after 1464). The façade was constructed between 1765 and 1771 and designed by Bernardino Maccarucci (c. 1728-1798). Admission to the church is €2 (as of August 2024).
Above the tympanum is a statue of St. Roch by Giuseppe Bernardi (1694-1773), while statues of St. Gerolamo Emiliani and Blessed Pietro Acotanto (d. 1187) decorate the corners. The relief of St. Roch Healing the Plague Stricken by Giovanni Morlaiter (1699-1781) is underneath the tympanum, with statues of Saints Lorenzo Giustiniani and Gregorio Barbarigo, both by Antonio Gai (1686-1769), in the upper niches.
In the lower niches flanking the main entrance are statues of Saints Gerardo Sagredo and Pietro Orseolo by Giovanni Marchiori (1696-1778). A bronze copy of the relief Glory of St. Roch is above the door while the marble original is inside.
Inside are some notable paintings by Tintoretto (1518-1594). The altar was built by Venturino Fantoni between 1517 and 1524. The relics of St. Roch, a patron saint of the city, were transferred there from Voghera.
Scuola Grande di San Rocco
Next door is the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, which was a confraternity established in 1478. It was built between 1515 and 1560. The building houses an incredible collection of paintings by Tintoretto (1518-1594), which were completed between 1564 and 1587 and considered to be his finest work. Admission is €10 for adults, €8 for visitors over 65 and from ages 18-26, and free for visitors under 18 (as of August 2024).
