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Piazza San Marco for cruisers
Piazza San Marco, also known as St. Mark’s square, is the central landmark of Venice, so famous that when you’re in the square you won’t see any sign with its name on it. Being the biggest and the most important open space in Venice, and the place where all the most important civil and religious ceremonies took place in the past, Piazza San Marco is the only square that earns the title of a piazza. All the others, obviously so insignificant in Venetian’s eyes, were simply called a campo. How to get from the Venice cruise terminal to Piazza San MarcoFor you as a cruiser, it will be very easy to reach Piazza San Marco from the cruise ship.Whether you’ve decided to take a cruise ship organized shuttle boat, or take a vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal, you will get dropped off very close to this square. If you decide to walk all the way from the cruise ship, just follow the signs that direct you to St Mark’s square.
Things to see in Piazza San Marco
If you approach Saint Mark’s square from the water, you will first enter into the so called Piazzetta San Marco. The Piazzetta is the area in between the Doge’s Palace and Sansovino's library. This has always been the doorway to the piazza. Something you can't miss while walking into the area are the two imposing columns, one with the winged lion of Saint Mark’s on it and another one with Saint Teodoro standing on top of a sacred crocodile of Egypt. Both of them being patrons of Venice.
Carry on walking through the Piazzetta and now you’ll be entering the real Piazza San Marco. The place around which everything revolves in Venice. A grandiose space so away from any kind of motorized traffic… perfect for socializing, gathering, talking and people watching. A space made for you to slow down and stop… rest from the usual touristy rushing around. As you walk into the area, Basilica San Marco will be on your right. It’s interesting that the lowest point in Venice is in the area of Piazza San Marco, and that’s right in front of the main door of the Basilica. This area will be the first to flood during aqua alta. To your right will be St Mark’s campanile which is the Bell tower of the Basilica. It is a 98,6 m (323 ft) tall brick structure which was built in its present form in 1514. However, what you see today is a replica of that original structure.
The new campanile was built and inaugurated in 1912. By now you must be right infront of the entrance of the Basilica di San Marco, admiring its mosaics and cupolas. On your left hand-side is the Clock Tower (Torre dell Orologio). When you think that this clock mechanism was built back in the 15th Ct, you cannot but think – at that time, people must have considered it nothing short of a miracle! 
The clock’s mechanism shows the time of day, the dominant zodiac sign and the moon phase. Also, note the two giants on top who strike the bell on the hour. Made of bronze, they quickly tarnished and are since then known as “Moors”. Back in the day this clock mechanism was so important for conveying the power of the Venetian republic. That’s why the old legend says that the Senate had its makers blinded upon completion of the clock so they couldn’t go elsewhere and build such a marvelous piece of work ever again. The other famous buildings to note in the Piazza San Marco are the Procuratie. These are the buildings that encircle the square and were built to house the offices and apartments of the procurators of Venice. Procurators were the most important citizens of Venice after the Doge. 
If you turn your back to the Basilica San Marco, on your right will be the Procuratie Vecchie (the Old Procuracies). They were originally built in the 12th Ct but rebuilt after the fire in the 16th Ct into the 3 storey structure you see today. On your left will be Procuratie Nuove (the New Procuracies) built in the 16th and 17th Ct, while at the very bottom of Piazza San Marco is the wing built by Napoleon. Today, part of the Napoleonic wing and the Procuratie Nuove house the Correr Museum. Now that you’ve taken note of all the major sights to see in Piazza San Marco, you are ready to flee from those crowds and return to Piazza San Marco in the afternoon to soak up its unique atmosphere! RELATED ARTICLES:
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