Sestiere “Castello”
Castello is one of the largest islands upon which Venice was built. Initially its name was ‘Olivolo’, maybe because it was shaped like an olive.
According to other sources the name came from the large number of olive trees which grew on this land.
Tito Livio (Roman historian) says the name comes from a castle that was said to be built by Antenore, head of the Eneti people.
Under doge Pietro Tribuno, a wall was erected to protect Venice from the attacks of the Hungarian Tartars. The wall stretched from Castello to S. Maria Zobenigo, where a big iron chain hung across the Grand Canal to stop all boats, so intercepting enemy ships.
Ugo Foscolo House
At number 3224 Campiello delle Gate is the house of Ugo Foscolo; he lived here from 1792 to 1797. There is a commemorative plaque on the front wall.
Chiesa di San Zaccaria
The first church of S. Zaccaria was built in the 9th century to house the remains of the father of St. John the Baptist, which were donated to the City of Venice by the Byzantine emperor Leo V as a gesture of friendship. The doges Angelo and...
Chiesa di Sant'Elena
The church was built in the 13th century on the occasion of the arrival in Venice from the Orient of the body of the Saint. It was rebuilt by the Olivetan monks who lived in the nearby convent. The church was consecrated in 1515 and was an important...
Giardini della Biennale
This insalubrious and swampy area was drained by Napoleonic decree, and since 1895 its various stands have been the site of the Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte. These constructions, realised by modern architects, are a fine example of the...
Scuola di San Giorgio Degli Schiavoni
The Scuola takes its name from the Dalmatian community, who gathered together in 1451 under the patronage of Sts. George, Jerome and Trifone and were featured in tapestries made by Vittorio Carpaccio at the beginning of the 1500s. The tapestry of...
Arsenale
The Arsenal, or naval dockyard, was the place where the Venetians built the famous workshops in which their powerful military and mercantile fleets were built and for centuries remained the pride and fortune of the Serenissima Republic. The name...
Basilica dei SS. Giovanni e Paolo
A temple erected by the Dominican Friars and dedicated to the two 3rd century Roman martyrs, the brothers Giovanni and Paolo.
The church was founded next to the modest St. Daniel’s Oratory on land which the Doge Jacopo Tiepolo had given to the...
Chiesa della Pietà
The church has its origins in the 15th century. It was rebuilt by Giorgio Massari in 1745 and consecrated in 1760. Frescoed by Tiepolo, it has the double role of religious building and concert hall. It was, in fact, considered to be the church of...
Chiesa di San Francesco della Vigna
This church takes its rather peculiar name from the prosperous vineyards which were cultivated on this spot by Marco Ziani, the son of the doge Pietro. In 1253 the land was left to the Minorite Friars, who built the first church with its cenobium...
Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Greci e Scuola dei Greci
After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Greeks found refuge in Venice. Their community became one of largest, being second only to that of the Jews. In 1526 the Greeks obtained permission to practice the orthodox rite and to acquire a huge...
Chiesa di San Giovanni in Bragora
Founded at the beginning of the 8th century by St. Magnus, the Bishop of Oderzo, the church was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It was restored in the 9th and the 12th centuries and rebuilt in 1475. It is held that the name derives from the old...
Chiesa di San Martino
Construction of the church began in the middle of the 1500s and was based on a design by Jacopo Sansovino. The facade is in the Tuscan style, and above the door is depicted St. Martin giving his mantle to the poor man (early 15th century) in a...
Chiesa di San Pietro di Castello
The Cathedral of Venice until 1807, when the title passed to St. Mark’s. A church dedicated to SS. Sergio and Bacco existed here from the 7th century, and it seems that it was rebuilt by Bishop Magnus in honour of St. Peter: in honour of the...
Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Derelitti
Called “dell’Ospedaletto” because of the nearby institute of charity, with a baroque facade by Longhena from the end of the 17th century (thanks to a notable bequest by Bartolomeo Cagnoni) and sculptures by Le Court. The interior has a single...
Monumento a Bartolomeo Colleoni
Colleoni, a condottiere from Bergamo who was in the service of Venice, died in 1475 and left all his possessions to the Republic. A clause in his will stipulated that a funeral monument should be erected in St. Mark’s, while his body should be...
Museo Storico Navale
This is the repository of the Republic of St. Mark's naval memories and in it are also preserved relics of the various regional Italian navies up to the last war. The variety and historical and artistic interest of the exhibits make it well worth a...
Pinacoteca Querini Stampalia
The palazzo was built during the Renaissance and was the residence of the Querini family. Exiled from Venice because of their involvement in the conspiracy of Bajamonte Tiepolo in 1310, they conquered the island of Stampalia in the Aegean, from...
Scuola Grande di San Marco
The Great School of St. Mark is one of the most meaningful and harmonious architectural works from the Venetian Renaissance. The school is also known as “dei battuti” and is one of the six great schools in Venice. It was built in 1260 with...
Suggested Routes
Castello – San Francesco
Type: By feet
Zone: Historical Area | Sestiere "Castello"
Arsenale, S. Giovanni di Malta, San Giorgio dei Greci, San Francesco della Vigna
Castello – San Pietro
Type: By feet
Zone: Historical Area | Sestiere "Castello"
Giardini, San Giuseppe, San Pietro, Arsenale, San Martino
Mercerie
Type: By feet
Zone: Historical Area | Sestiere "Castello" | Sestiere "San Marco"
S.Zaccaria, San Marco, S.Zulian, S.Angelo
