Sestiere Castello: das Arsenale, die Biennale-Gärten & San Giovanni e Paolo
El sestiere de Castello fue durante cinco siglos el corazón industrial de Venecia: el Arsenale (el astillero estatal establecido en 1104, capaz en su apogeo de completar un barco de guerra por día) fue la instalación industrial más avanzada del mundo medieval y la base de la supremacía naval veneciana en el Mediterráneo.
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Venice Arsenale — The Industrial Complex That Built an Empire
The Arsenale di Venezia (the former naval shipyard complex on the eastern edge of Castello, the largest industrial complex in pre-Industrial Europe — at its peak employing 16,000 workers (arsenalotti) and capable of constructing one fully equipped war galley per day) is normally accessible only during the Venice Biennale (when the Arsenale is the main venue) or the Biennale Arte (odd years) and Biennale Architettura (even years, June–November, ¥30 full Biennale pass) — the Corderie (the 16th-century rope-making hall, 316m long, the longest enclosed space in Venice) hosts the major national pavilion exhibitions; the exterior lion statues (Greek originals, looted from Piraeus by Francesco Morosini in 1687, placed flanking the Arsenale gateway) are always visible.
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Venice Biennale — The World's Most Important Art Event
La Biennale di Venezia (established 1895, the world's oldest and most prestigious contemporary art exhibition, held biennially — Biennale Arte in odd years, Biennale Architettura in even years, June–November, 30 Giardini national pavilions plus the Arsenale international exhibition) defines the direction of global contemporary art — the Golden Lion for the best national pavilion (the Giardini di Castello, the permanent pavilion site where 30 nations have their own buildings ranging from the 1907 Germany pavilion to the newer structures added since 1980) and the Special Golden Lion for lifetime achievement are the most prestigious awards in contemporary art; the vernissage (the first week, May, invitation only) is attended by 400,000 art world professionals.
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Giardini di Castello — The Public Gardens and Pavilions
Giardini di Castello (the public park at the eastern end of Venice, created by Napoleon in 1807 by demolishing an urban neighbourhood, now the permanent site of the Venice Biennale national pavilions, open year-round as a park, Biennale venues open only during Biennale exhibitions, ¥0 for park access) is the least-touristed major green space in Venice — the permanent Biennale pavilions (the national pavilions housing exhibition buildings ranging from Carlo Scarpa's 1956 Venezuelan Pavilion, the finest Modern architecture in Venice's public spaces, to the 1990s additions at the park's edges) and the cafés on the fondamenta fronting the Basin of San Marco make the Giardini the right place to avoid the Rialto and San Marco crowds.
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Riva degli Schiavoni — The Grand Promenade of the Eastern Lagoon
Riva degli Schiavoni (the 1km waterfront promenade from the Doge's Palace to the public gardens, the widest and most exposed waterfront in Venice, named for the Dalmatian/Slavonian merchants whose boats docked here) is the finest single waterfront walk in Venice — the Hotel Danieli (the 14th-century Gothic palace at Riva degli Schiavoni 4196, the most historic hotel in Venice, with the rooftop terrace bar offering the best panoramic view of the lagoon — ¥25 for a Bellini, open to non-guests), the vaporetto stop San Zaccaria (the primary hub for Lines 1, 2, 5.1, 5.2 — from here, any island in the lagoon is accessible), and the early morning view (the dawn light on the San Giorgio Maggiore campanile across the water) are the Riva's defining qualities.
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San Zaccaria — The Hidden Church of Bellini's Madonna
San Zaccaria (Campo San Zaccaria, Castello, the 15th-century Gothic and Renaissance church immediately behind the Riva degli Schiavoni, free, Monday–Saturday 10am–noon and 4–6pm, Sunday 4–6pm) contains Giovanni Bellini's Sacred Conversation (the San Zaccaria Altarpiece, 1505, the painting Bellini produced in his early 70s — the enthroned Virgin and Child with Saints Francis, Peter, Jerome, and Lucy — the single most serene devotional painting in Venice and one of the most technically perfect Renaissance altarpieces in Italy); the crypt (the original 9th-century crypt below the current floor, flooded with clear lagoon water, with 8 Doges of Venice buried in the water) is accessible for free with the church.
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SS Giovanni e Paolo — The Pantheon of Venice
Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo (Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Campo San Giovanni e Paolo, Castello, free Monday–Saturday 9am–6pm, the Dominican Basilica begun 1333) is the largest church in Venice and the burial place of 25 Doges — the monuments (the Renaissance ducal tombs lining the nave — the Pietro Mocenigo monument by Pietro Lombardo, 1476–1481, the finest Renaissance memorial sculpture in Venice) and Veronese's ceiling paintings in the Rosary Chapel (replacing the originals destroyed in the 1867 fire) are the principal works; the Bartolomeo Colleoni equestrian statue outside (1496, Andrea Verrocchio, the finest bronze equestrian statue of the Renaissance, commissioned by the Venetian Senate and cast after Verrocchio's death by Alessandro Leopardi) is in the campo adjacent.