A lion and his little friend - Scuola Grande di San Marco

I was taken by the sight of this little pigeon and his fierce friend sitting companionably together on the facade of the Scuola Grande di San Marco, now Venice's hospital.

The facade of the Scuola Grande di San Marco in Castello

Examining the facade of the Scuola Grande di San Marco

Even partially covered in scaffolding, the Renaissance marble facade of Venice's hospital, in the former Scuola di San Marco, is extraordinary.

Taking in the facade of the Scuola Grande di San Marco in Castello

It was harder to see the imperious lions carved in the alcoves on the lower portion of the building, as they were barricaded off during the construction works:

Detail of the facade of the Scuola Grande di San Marco

And it wasn't until I came home to Australia, and was properly reviewing my photos from the trip, that I fully appreciated the sumptuousness, the richness of the carving, decoration and coloured marbling of this gorgeous building.

I noticed how smaller lion heads are carved into the top portions of the facade:

The small lion heads adorning the Scuola Grande di San Marco

And then I enjoyed the triumphant lion that crowns the facade.  

I also really like that angel with her hands held together in prayer, looking up to the sky, on the top right hand side of the photo:

Top of the facade of the Scuola di San Marco, Castello

And then I let my eyes roam south, to enjoy the colour of the marble, the statuary and rich carving in the main part of the facade:

Looking up the Scuola Grande di San Marco

Founded in 1260, the Scuola Grande di San Marco was one of Venice’s original three scuole (you can read more about the scuole here).  

It was established in Santa Croce, and later moved to its present site near the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo. 

Facade of the Scuola Grande di San Marco, Castello

In 1437, the Confraternity of San Marco built its new headquarters, but this structure was destroyed by fire in 1485.  It was re-built from 1487 – to the mid 1490s by Pietro Lombardo who began the lower hall and façade.  Lombardo was dismissed to be replaced by Mauro Codussi who completed upper façade and upper hall from 1490, and was responsible for the interior double-branch staircase.

If you’ve visited the Accademia Galleries, you’ll remember seeing Tintoretto’s Miracle of St Mark and St Mark’s Body Brought to Venice – both were originally housed in this scuola together with The finding of the body of St Mark which is now in the Brera in Milan.

The scuola was converted to a hospital under the Austrians in 1819, and remains Venice’s hospital to this day.

Bartolomeo Colleoni

My first encounter with a condottiere was in Padova when I first met Donatello's stunning equestrian monument to Gattamelata outside the Basilica di San Antonio.  

A condottiere is the leader of band of mercenaries, who were hired by the various Italian states to fight one another from the mid 14th century to the 16th century.  

I was struck first by Donatello's modelling of the celebrated mercenary, and then by that mercenary's name - 'The Honey Cat'.  

Say it aloud: 

"Gattamelata".

Venice's monument to the mercenary Bartolomeo Colleoni is here in Campo San Zanipolo, outside the former Scuola Grande di San Marco and the Gothic cathedral of SS Giovanni e Paolo.  

Colleoni began his career in the 15th century in Venice's army (serving under Gattamelata).  

He later defected to Milan, where he was jailed, then escaped to re-enlist in the Venetian army.

The final years of his career were notably peaceful in Venetian history, so he spent his middle years in relative luxury and wealth.  When he died in 1475, he bequeathed 700,000 ducats to the Venetian state, on the proviso that it had to erect a monument in his honour in front of San Marco.

Those wily Venetian bureaucrats took Colleoni's will to mean that he wanted his monument to be placed in front of the Scuola di San Marco, not the Basilica di San Marco.  

Andrea Verrocchio was awarded the commission in 1481, but after commencing work on the equestrian part of the monument, he heard rumours that another artist was being courted to produce the rider.  Enraged, he smashed his horse and returned to Florence.  He was invited back to start afresh but died in June 1488 before the work was completed.

Alessandro Leopardi was then hired to complete the monument and the high plinth on which it stands.  Leopardi took the name 'del Cavallo' and signed his name to the horse and the plinth.  

Looking around Campo San Zanipolo

When I first lived in Venice as student, I remember crossing the city from Dorsoduro to reach the Fondamente Nuove for day-trips to explore the islands: the cemetery island of San Michele, the glass island of Murano, the first island of Torcello, the picturesque island of Burano, the fascinating island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni.  

To reach the Fondamente Nuove, I'd always walk through Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo - which was always known to me in the dialect form of Campo San Zanipolo.  In my head, it's still 'San Zanipolo', no matter what the 'nizioletto' indicates!

My memory of San Zanipolo is of an area filled with funeral homes, and the walk to the vaporetto stop at Fondamente Nuove was filled with the businesses of funerary stonemasons.  I remember the tomb stones and statues all lined up for display outside their shops.

No more.  

I don't recall having seen a single stonemason's shop on my most recent visit (and I looked!), although the 'nizioletto' in the square is placed above a funeral home, as you see from the photo.

This is a gorgeous campo - filled with small bars (including my favourite breakfast stop, Rosa Salva), a bookshop, and dominated by the huge Gothic structure of San Zanipolo which houses 25 of Venice's doges.

I love that magnificent statue of the condottiere, Bartolomeo Colleoni by Verocchio which stands outside the elegant facade of the Scuola di San Marco, now Venice's hospital.

Nearby is a lovely well-head, decorated with putti.

Campiello de Barbaria, Castello

During our last visit, I wanted to stay somewhere small, somewhere locally owned, somewhere comfortable, somewhere quiet and somewhere convenient. 

 

We picked Castello's Alloggi Barbaria, mostly because I've had so much fun and learned so much about Venice by following Fausto's brilliant blog (you can read it here). 

 

We were delighted to be staying there - and this is a great opportunity to publicly acknowledge Fausto and his team's warm hospitality, their love for their city and professionalism.  Thanks for having us, Fausto and team.  We loved staying with you.

 

Every morning, I'd be up with the sparrows, and wild to be out exploring the city. 

 

I'd throw open the shutters and listen to the distant church bells, before an uncharacteristically speedy shower and a bolted-down breakfast.  

Then, I'd drag my husband purposefully from Alloggi Barbaria down the Calle del Capucine, into the nearby Campiello Barbaria.  Here's what the Campiello looks like early in the morning:

Campiello de Barbaria, Castello, Venice

And this is what it looks like facing the opposite direction:

 

Campiello de Barbaria, Castello, Venice

 

Campiello de Barbaria, Castello 

We'd take a left out of the campiello into Calle Cafetier, follow it on to Calle Barbaria de le Tole (so called because the alley used to filled with warehouses where planks of wood or 'tole' were stored). 

 We'd pass the ornate Ospadaletto (with its baroque facade by Longhena) as we walked toward Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo (I prefer its shorter local name of Campo San Zanipolo).  I always liked being out and about early so I could stop to enjoy the Ospadeletto.

It's in a long, narrow alley and it's hard to photograph the building in its entirety, or to stand back and admire it once the rest of the city is up and about.

 

 

And here are two details of the facade:

 

And then we'd stop for a second breakfast of coffee and a warm pastry at Rosa Salva (just because we could!) before starting our day in earnest...