Dorsorduro, San Polo and parts of San Marco and Cannaregio along the upper stretches of the Grand Canal towards and past the Rialto Bridge. A slow (and disorienting!) tour of the streets and narrow passageways from the canal into the heart of Dorsorduro and San Polo before sunset.

Background

As I was coming on to the end of my stay in Venice, I took a final quick tour into the depths of the Dorsoduro area starting from the vaporetto stop at Ca' Rezzonico. I passed through the attractive square of Campo San Barnaba where a huge belltower belonging to the church of San Barnaba overlooks the canal of Rio di San Barnaba. Walking west down this canal, I crossed a bridge to Cavour d. Pazienza until I arrived at another quiet square of Campo de Camini. This square sits next to another canal, but seemed to lack the activity and space that was in Campo San Barnaba.

Next to San Maria dei Campini is the huge square of Campo di San Margherita. It is probably one of the largest strips of open spaces I've seen in Venice since visiting Piazza San Marco and Campo Vidal and Stefano, but seemed to lack the beauty and culture provided by those two.

A few minutes of walking northwards, I arrived at the tiny square of Campo San Rocco. The square was flanked by the small chapel of San Rocco, the Scuola Grande dei San Rocco with its elegant marbled facade and the back of the massive Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.

Venice is one city that seems to make effective use of space. The Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and its square is no exception. At the Campo dei Frari, the facade of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and its belltower seemed to dominate the small square and the adjoining canal, making the church seem even more magnificent. I was tempted to go inside, but it was quickly getting dark and I did not feel the tariff was worth the experience.

Instead, I continued on to Campo di San Polo, another large square, but it did not feel as clean and elegant as the Campo dei Frari. The small church of San Polo did not possess any distinctive features and the palaces bordering the square looked small and neglected.

I resumed my Vaporetto journey of the Grand Canal from San Toma to the Rialto Bridge. As I looked eastwards, we passed the group of palaces of Ca' Mocenigo, Palazzo Corner Spinelli and Palazzo Grimari. And a couple of palaces before Rialto, we passed the twin palaces of Palazzo Loredan e Farsetti - the town hall of Venice.

The area inside and around Rialto bridge can be easily described as a "melting pot" filled with locals going about their daily chores, tourists shopping for souvenirs and food around the various makeshift market stalls selling Murano glass, jewellery, guides and postcards. Fortunately, I found some peace and quiet when I made a right turn to Campo Cesare Battisti which has views of the canal.

Walking upstream along the Grand Canal to Fondetta Riva dell Olio is the palace of Ca' Oro. The Ca 'Oro, or House of Gold, truly lives up to its name with its elegant details in the windows and balcony of the facade.

I ended up getting lost again in the passageways as I proceeded upstream along the Grand Canal to Palazzo di Turchi and passing San Cassiano. However, I did inadvertently find my way to Campo Ilo dei Monti where a small cafe overlooks the church of San Giacomo dell' Orio. Fortunately I was able to make my way back up to the canal to see Casino Municipale from C. Del Meglio.

In the end, I felt exhaused both mentally and physically from the constant walking and backtracking, and this experience would clearly indicate for myself how easy it is to feel inspired, and lost, in the city of Venice. Fortunately, I finally found my way back to the San Stae vaporetto stop for my journey to Ca 'Oro.

Technical

Canon EOS 300V with 28-90mm and 75-300 USM lenses. Fuji ISO 100 film.

Links

Jack's Travel Guide - Venice Canals
Churches of San Polo