Symbol of the city and always center of its public life, the very famous Saint Mark’s Square, the only square in Venice (all the others are called “campi”) is the result of a long process of adaptation to the functional and representative needs of Venetian community. Almost a rectangular shape, the square’ background are Saint Mark’s Basilica and the isolated bell tower, the highest in the city.
The northern part of the square is delimited by the Procuratie Vecchie, a long building built in the XII century and restored from 1541, side by side of the Clock Tower, built in 1496-99 under the project of Mauro Codussi.
On the southern side of the square there are the Procuratie Nuove, buit from 1582 by Vincenzo Scamozzi and ended about in the second half of the XVII century by Baldassarre Longhena.
Under the portico, the eighteen-century caffè Florian, restored in the XIX century, one of the most famous and oldest meeting place of the city.
Delimited by the Doge’s Palace and the Libreria Sansoviniana, the Piazzetta S. Marco overlooks Saint Mark’s dock with the island of San Giorgio in the background. Near the bank, two monolithic columns rise up. Between the two columns, of the XII century, once raised a dais for capital punishments.
