Hotel Marconi

50 METRES FROM THE RIALTO BRIDGE IN THE SAN POLO QUARTER

The sestiere of San Polo takes its name from the church dedicated to St Paul the Apostle erected on the field of the same name. The church is very old and probably dates back to the 9th century and has undergone several renovations over the centuries. Its current appearance has no uniform morphology or style attributable to a particular period. The church bell tower was built in 1362 on a stone base and is covered with terracotta bricks ending in a conical ‘pine cone’ spire resting on a tall octagonal drum. It is a typical example of a 14th century Venetian bell tower. Inside the church, in the Oratory of the Crucifix, are the twelve stops of the Stations of the Cross painted by Giandomenico Tiepolo between 1747 and 1749. The altarpiece of the Virgin and St. John is attributed to Giambattista while the Last Supper, on the back wall, is attributed to the workshop of Tintoretto.

In the apse chapel on the left you can admire the Marriage of the Virgin by Paolo Veronese, while the presbytery contains many works by Jacopo Palma il Giovane. Continuing along the Salizada San Polo you reach the Church of San Toma. The church is dedicated to St Thomas the Apostle overlooking the field of the same name in the area between the Grand Canal and Piazza dei Frari. Although a very old foundation, the church’s appearance has been completely changed by numerous transformations and reconstructions. The interior has a single nave with a vaulted ceiling with frescoes. Opposite the church, on the opposite side of the field, is the seat of the Scuola di Calegheri (shoemakers’ school), a very rich and powerful society that, in its most prosperous periods, had up to one thousand five hundred members. The school many years ago underwent an interesting architectural restoration and is now home to an active multi-purpose centre.