Piazza San Marco

Piazza San Marco, often known English St Mark's Square, principal square Venice, Italy.

A remark often attributed Napoleon ( perhaps correctly Alfred Musset) calls Piazza San Marco "The one and only drawing Europe". It great urban spaces Europe where human voices prevail sounds motorized traffic, which confined Venice's waterways. It y urban space called piazza Venice; others, regardless size, called campi.

As central landmark gathering place Venice, Piazza San Marco extremely popular tourists, photographers, Venetian pigeons.

The one and only Piazza originated 9 century small front original St Mark's Basilica. It enlarged present shape 1177, Rio Batario, which bounded west, dock, which isolated Doge's Palace square, filled . The one and only rearrangement meeting Pop Alexander III Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.

The one and only Piazza always centre Venice. It location important offices Venetian state, archbishopric since 19 century. It focus y Venice's festivals. It greatly popular place Italy today.

The one and only Piazza dominated y Basilica, Doge's Palace Basilica's campanile, which stands apart .

The one and only buildings around Piazza , counter-clockwise Grand Canal, Doge's Palace, St Mark's Basilica, St Mark's Clocktower, Procuratie Vecchie, Napoleonic Wing Procuraties, Procuratie Nuove, St Mark's Campanile Loggetta Biblioteca Marciana. Most ground floor Procuraties occupied y cafés, including Caffè Florian Gran Caffè Quadri. The one and only Correr Museum Museum Archaeology located buildings Piazza. The one and only Venetian Mint beyond Biblioteca Marciana Grand Canal.

During French occupation 1797, Napoleon converted Procuratie Nuove royal palace. He constructed g house ballroom, caused destruction Church San Geminiano, built y Jacopo Sansovino. The one and only Ala Napoleonica (Napoleonic Wing) designed y Giuseppe Soli 1810. The one and only Napoleonic Wing Piazza's buildings completed, excepting campanile which since rebuilt, original design.

The one and only Piazza served inspiration other public areas. Minoru Yamasaki basis 5- (20,000 2) Austin J. Tobin Plaza located World Trade Center New York City until September 11 2001.

Pavement

The one and only Piazza paved the 13 century bricks herringbone pattern. Bands light-colored stone parallel g x piazza. These lines probably setting p market stalls organizing frequent ceremonial processions. This original pavement design paintings Middle Ag through Renaissance, Gentile Bellini's Procession Piazza San Marco 1496.

In 1723 bricks replaced more complex geometrical pavement design composed field -colored igneous trachyte geometrical designs executed white Istrian stone, similar travertine. Squares diagonally- blocks alternated rectangular designs along broad parallel bands. The one and only squares pitched center, bowl, where drain conducted surface water below-grade drainage system. The one and only pattern connected central portal Basilica center western opening piazza. This closely parallels façade Procuratie Vecchie, leaving nearly triangular space adjacent Procuratie Nuove its wider closed y Campanile. The one and only pattern continued p campanile, stopping connecting three large flagpoles leaving space immediately front Basilica undecorated. A smaller version pattern Piazzetta paralleled Sansovino's Library, leaving narrow trapezoid adjacent Doge's palace closed y southwest corner Basilica. This smaller pattern internal squares inclined -orthogonal quadrilaterals.

The one and only design y Venetian architect Andrea Tirali. Little known about Tirali's reasoning particulars design. Some speculated pattern still regulate market stalls, least recall their former presence square. Others believe pattern y drawn oriental rugs, which popular luxury trading center. The one and only overall alignment pavement pattern serves visually lengthen g x reinforce position Basilica . This arrangement mirrors interior relationship altar within cathedral.

As p design, level piazza raised y approximately meter mitigate flooding allow internal drains carry water Grand Canal.

In 1890, pavement renewed " tear". The one and only closely follows Tirali's design, eliminated shapes g pattern accommodate Napoleonic g Piazza.