We cross the Rialto Bridge and, in the campo on the farther side, find the little church of S. Giacomo di Rialto—according to tradition, the oldest in Venice. This spot, Shakespeare’s Rialto, was once the very heart of the commercial life of the old Republic. The colonnade was formerly covered with frescoes and displayed the famous mappa mondo, illustrating the routes of Venetian commerce across the world. Here, before noon, patricians gathered to discuss private and public affairs.

The church, rebuilt and altered more than once, no longer stands on its original site. It was moved in 1322 when the Rialto was enlarged and a loggia constructed to shelter merchants. The beautiful relief of the Virgin and Child over the portico dates from the fourteenth century. The six columns of the nave are the only surviving elements of the eleventh-century church rebuilt by Doge Domenico Selvo. On the exterior of the apse appears the Latin inscription that so delighted Ruskin:
“Around this temple let the merchant’s law be just, his weight true, and his covenants faithful.”

Opposite the western front of the campo stands the Hunchback of the Rialto (Il Gobbo di Rialto), restored in 1892. From this stone figure, the decrees of the Republic were once proclaimed. Beyond the market rises the early sixteenth-century church of S. Giovanni Elemosinario, designed by Scarpagnino. Its picturesque campanile features an intriguing relief beneath the bell chamber. The high altar painting is Titian’s depiction of the patron saint, St. John the Almsgiver. In the chapel to the right hangs an altarpiece by Pordenone portraying Saints Sebastian, Roch, and Mary Magdalene. Above, on the left wall, a quaint relief survived the fire that destroyed the original eleventh-century church.

Following the sign toward the Museo Civico, we reach S. Cassiano, home to three works by Tintoretto. His Crucifixion, regarded by Ruskin as one of the master’s finest paintings in Europe, presents a solemn and original interpretation of the subject and remains in excellent condition. The church also contains an early altarpiece by Palma Vecchio—The Baptist and Four Saints—and three paintings by Leandro Bassano.

Continuing onward, we arrive at the small church of S. Maria Mater Domini, built by one of the Lombardi, with a façade by Sansovino. The surrounding campo preserves several early Gothic houses adorned with beautiful Byzantine reliefs and crosses. Inside the church, the second altar to the right holds Catena’s St. Christina. The angel to the left, bearing a millstone, is among the most gentle and innocent creations of the master. In the right transept hangs Tintoretto’s Invention of the Cross, while opposite stands a Last Supper attributed to Bonifazio.

At length, we reach the Museo Civico, housed in the restored Fondaco dei Turchi. The original palace, Ca’ Pesaro, was built around 1230 for Giacomo Palmieri, a wealthy Guelf refugee from Pesaro. By 1861 it stood as a picturesque ruin, famously with a cherry tree growing from one of its turrets. In 1869 it was entirely restored; the capitals and columns were recut and treated to enhance their veining.

The courtyard displays fine examples of Venetian well-heads.

Second Floor Highlights:

• Room I: Arms and banners, including standards captured from the Turks and ceremonial insignia of the Republic.
• Room II: Carpaccio’s Visitation; Lotto’s Virgin and Child with Saints George and Jerome; scenes of Venetian life by Longhi and Guardi.
• Rooms III–VI: Dedicated to Francesco Morosini, featuring war trophies, personal relics—including a book of hours concealing a pistol—portraits, and models of galleys.
• Room VII: A complete collection of oselle from Doge Antonio Grimani to Doge Ludovico Manin, Venetian coins including gold zecchini, and medals of the Carraresi.
• Rooms VIII–IX: Venetian lace, rich textiles, costumes, fans, stilted shoes, miniatures, a diagram of the Doge’s election process, and a fifteenth-century wooden staircase.
• Room X: Furniture, a portrait of Goldoni, and paintings by Longhi.
• Room XI: Reliefs from the burnt chapel of the Rosary at S. Zanipolo, bronze works, and ornaments.
• Room XII: Majolica, porcelain, and glass—including a deep blue wedding goblet by the celebrated Berovieri of Murano.
• Room XIV: Illuminated manuscripts, guild statutes (Mariegole), a portrait of Paolo Sarpi with the dagger used in the attempt on his life.
• Room XV: Basaiti’s Virgin and Child with Donor and Jacopo Bellini’s Crucifixion.
• Room XVI: Works by Alvise Vivarini, Carpaccio’s Two Courtezans, early paintings by Giovanni Bellini—including a Transfiguration and a Pietà—and portraits of Doges by Gentile Bellini and his school.

South of the Museo Civico stands the old church of S. Giacomo dall’Orio. Its timber coved roof dates from the fourteenth century. To the right of the entrance is a 1511 painting of Saints Sebastian, Lawrence, and Roch by Giovanni Buonconsiglio. In the right aisle, beneath a richly carved and gilded vaulted frieze, hangs Francesco Bassano’s Preaching of the Baptist, considered one of his finest works. Opposite stands an Ionic column of verde antico of remarkable size and beauty. In a chapel of the left aisle is Lorenzo Lotto’s Coronation of the Virgin with Saints Andrew, James, Cosimo, and Damian (1546), a work that earned the artist 130 gold ducats.