The Carnival Places
The Venice carnival was a magical time for everyone and involved the whole city. It broke all the rules of society and State and gave the average man the chance to lose himself in revelry.
This was an intense period for the Venetians as they donned their masks and wore their fanciful costumeSt. The Palace Courts brightened up day and night as they opened up their gates to all manner of parties, shows and musical eventSt.
Along the waterways, people would greet each other with a "Good morning Mrs Mask!". Personal identity, sex and social class were no more; all that mattered was taking part in the great illusion of the Carnival.
Campo San Polo (St. Polo Square)
Doges Pietro and Giovanni Tradonico founded the church of San Paolo, commonly known as San Polo, in the year 837. Formally a parish church, in 1810 San Polo came under the jurisdiction of the church of S.M.Gloriosa of Frari. In 1343, the heyday...
Campo San Rocco (St. Rocco Square)
The Building of the Church of San Rocco was started in 1489 and finished in 1508 according to the design of "Mastro Buono" and was formally consecrated by Alerio, Bishop of Chisamo. In 1725, through the work of Scalfarotto, it was...
Campo San Salvador (St. Salvador Square)
History has it that in this square there was a deep well with a water-tank where wayfarers used to tie their horses and let them drink. A decree dating from 29th February 1287 forbade the riding of horses through the main street.
The church of...
Campo Santo Stefano (St. Stefano Square)
This was the favorite meeting-point of the Venetians. It was famous for the "liston" of Santo Stefano, which was a walk down a grassy pavement which was placed across the square. During the carnival, the custom was to lay out the...
Campo Santa Maria Formosa (St. Maria Formosa Square)
Legend has it that the Virgin Mary appeared in this square before Bishop San Magno, ordering him to erect a church in her name. The new church was dedicated to the purification of the Virgin Mary and the people called it Santa Maria Formosa in...
Campo Santa Maria di Zobenigo (St. Maria of Zobenigo Square)
The name derives from the old Jubanico family who founded the church around the year 900. It appears that fortified walls were added to the church to protect the city at the behest of Doge Tribuno in the 10th century. The fortification stretched...
Campo Santa Margherita (St. Margherita Square)
This square is one of the most characteristic of the city hosting the main fish and herb markets. Formerly in the Fondamenta della Scoazzera, there was a hospice here for the poor founded by Maddalena Scrovegni, a rich and noble lady from a...
Campo San Luca (St. Luca Square)
In 1721, according to the Executioner's records, a boy from the old Pharmacy in Campo San Luca was beheaded and then quartered for murdering and then stealing from a prostitute. Because there used to be a sign outside the old pharmacy depicting...
