S. Moisè — S. Stefano — Site of the Aldine Press — Il Bovolo — S. Vitale — S. Vio — The Salute — The Seminario

From the south-west angle of the Piazza, a bustling street leads west past S. Moisè, a late seventeenth-century church designed by A. Tremignan, whose striking façade was once widely admired.

Crossing the Campi of S. Maria Zobenigo and S. Maurizio, we arrive at the spacious Campo Francesco Morosini. At the northern end stands the fine Gothic brick church of S. Stefano (1294–1320). The principal portal and the windows of the western façade are attributed to the Massegne workshop.

Inside, the church houses several remarkable Renaissance monuments. Among the most notable:

• The monument of Jacopo Suriano, located to the left of the entrance
• Statues of Saints Jerome and Paul by P. Lombardo beside the third altar in the left aisle
• Statues of the Baptist and St Anthony flanking the sacristy altar

The last of these is considered one of the master’s most refined works in Venice. Nearby are paintings of Saints Nicholas and Lawrence by Bartolomeo Vivarini. Morosini’s tomb lies embedded in the nave floor.

Leaving through the left aisle, we enter the cloister, where fragments of Pordenone’s frescoes still survive.

From Campo S. Angelo to the Aldine Press

Crossing the cloister leads to Campo S. Angelo. From here, following Calle della Mandola brings us to Campo Manin, where the modern Savings Bank stands on the historic site of the Aldine Press.

Retracing our steps and turning through Calle della Vida and Corte Contarini del Bovolo, we discover a beautiful early Renaissance spiral staircase alongside a Byzantine well-head — one of Venice’s hidden architectural treasures.

S. Vitale and the Legend of Campo S. Vio

Back at Campo Morosini, the church of S. Vitale (Vidal) contains a late painting by Carpaccio depicting the saint on horseback, accompanied by his family and other saints.

Crossing the Grand Canal via the iron bridge and passing the Accademia, we reach S. Vio, demolished in 1813 and rebuilt in 1864. Fragments from Tiepolo’s house were incorporated into the new structure.

The church opens only once a year on S. Vio’s feast day, though special entry can sometimes be arranged nearby.

Campo S. Vio is linked to one of Venice’s most charming legends. Here lived the blessed Contessa Tagliapietra. Prevented by her family from crossing the Grand Canal to visit her confessor, she laid a thread across the water and walked over it to continue her devotions.

Toward the Salute

Continuing eastward, passing a small shrine at the end of Calle Barbaro, and crossing Ponte S. Gregorio, we reach the great plague church of Santa Maria della Salute.

Inside the church:

• Above the third altar on the left: Titian’s Descent of the Holy Ghost
• Ceiling medallions behind the high altar: The Four Evangelists and Four Fathers of the Church
• Sacristy altar: Titian’s St Mark Enthroned (1513)
• Later ceiling works: Death of Abel, Sacrifice of Abraham, and David and Goliath
• Right wall: Tintoretto’s Marriage at Cana, praised for its dramatic light and colour

The sacristy also contains a St Sebastian by Paris Bordone and two oval paintings traditionally linked to the Vivarini workshop.

In the ante-sacristy, visitors can see a fifteenth-century relief Pietà and a 1339 painting of the Virgin and Child with Doge Francesco Dandolo and the Dogeressa Elisabetta.

The Seminario and the Manfredini Gallery

East of the Salute stands the Seminario, home to a small but notable collection of sculpture and paintings. Ascending Longhena’s grand staircase leads to the Galleria Manfredini, featuring works by Filippino Lippi, Veronese, and Giorgione’s Apollo and Daphne, likely painted for a bridal chest panel.

From the Salute or Dogana ferry points, visitors can easily return toward the Piazza.

Venice reveals itself slowly — through stone, water, and light — rewarding those who walk, observe, and allow the city to speak through its centuries.