The Chiesa di San Biagio stands out for its plain, narrow facade of weathered brick and stone, wedged tightly against the neighboring buildings near the naval arsenal. This church served as the spiritual home for the nearby dockyard…
Venice Arsenale Walking Tour
This walk guides you around the perimeter of Venice's legendary state shipyard and naval monuments. You will see the historic gates, maritime museums, and workshops that once built the great fleets of the Venetian Republic.
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1. Chiesa di San Biagio Vescovo
2. Museo Storico Navale di Venezia
The Museo Storico Navale features a bright red, life-sized ceremonial oar from a Dogaressa's galley jutting from its facade. This building housed the grain stores for the Venetian Republic before becoming a naval history museum. Inside,…
3. Padiglione delle Navi
The Padiglione delle Navi holds a long row of historic vessels inside a former workshop of the Venetian Arsenal. Its massive arched brick ceiling once sheltered the carpenters and rope makers who kept the Venetian fleet at sea. Today, a…
4. Campo de la Tana
The Campo de la Tana holds a long, low building with a series of arched brick doorways that once formed the entrance to the Arsenale. This space earned its name from the Tana, a factory for hemp rope production that occupied the site for…
5. Arsenale di Venezia
The Arsenale stands apart with its two stone lions flanking the grand entrance gate, the Porta Magna. This complex of shipyards and armories fueled the rise of the Venetian Republic for centuries. In its prime, workers here could assemble…
6. Ponte dell'Arsenale
The Ponte dell'Arsenale spans the canal entrance to the legendary shipyard of Venice, marked by the stone lions brought back as spoils of war. In the sixteenth century, the heavy iron gates here locked shut every night, sealing off the…
7. Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Martino di Castello
The Chiesa di San Martino features a heavy, square facade made of bare, exposed brick that stands out against the lighter plaster of the surrounding Venetian houses. Inside, the church holds a ceiling fresco by Giambattista Canal depicting…