St. Mark’s Basilica

You run out of superlatives in talking about St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. We lined up 90 mins before opening time so as to be sure to gain early entry. It is a place of historical association for Venetians and is the leading symbol of the city of Venice.

The first St. Mark’s church was built in 828 but has since been greatly added to and rebuilt. The extras include the view towards the Grand Canal from the church balcony, the gilded bronze quadriga of the 4 horses brought to Venice from Constantinople after 1204. The sculptor in unknown, and is said to be Greek or Roman.

The final photos take a look at a 14th Century Palace called Priuli. For the last 20 years 11 of the rooms have constituted Hotel Priuli with the rest of the building used for private residents. Adelaide artist Ingrid Erns painted this Palazzo around about 50 years ago.