Even Napoleon was impressed with this space, calling it “the world’s most beautiful drawing room.” Indeed. It still stuns with its beauty!

Piazza San Marco, known in English as St Mark’s Square, is the principal public square of Venice, where it is generally known just as la Piazza (the Square). All other urban spaces in the city (except the Piazzetta and the Piazzale Roma) are called campi (fields). The Piazzetta (little square) is an extension of the Piazza towards San Marco basin in its south east corner. The two spaces together form the social, religious and political centre of Venice and are commonly considered together.

And then, of course, there’s Florians. Gallons of ink have already been spilled on the subject of this delightful relic of old Venice, so I will just show you a couple of pictures to refresh your memory!

Below is one of my favorite art works in the whole wide world: the figures carved in porphyry. The Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs is a sculptural group of four Roman emperors dating from around 300 AD. The group has been fixed to a corner of the façade of St Mark’s Basilica since the Middle Ages. It probably formed part of the decorations of the Philadelphion in Constantinople, and was removed to Venice in 1204 or soon after.

And, now, arrividerci to the piazza, until we meet again!