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itinerario: San Moisč - Museo Correr - Archaeological Museum - Torre dell'Orologio - Church of San Zulian - St Marks' Basilica - Palazzo Ducale - Campanile di San Marco - Ponte dei Sospiri

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St Mark's area, magnet for tourists, can be reached directly without encountering obstacles by taking the No. 3 vaporetto and getting off at the San Marco Giardinetti stop. However we suggest you follow our route which takes in some stunning sights.

[ 1 ]
Take the No. 2 or No. 1 vaporetto (accessible) from Tronchetto, Piazzale Roma (bus terminus) or Ferrovia (railway station) and continue down the full length of the Canal Grande to San Marco
Vallaresso.

[ 2 ]
Going down the alley opposite the landing stage - Calle Vallaresso - you will come to Campo San Moisč and the Church of San Moisč with its magnificent baroque faēade and thirteenth-century bell tower. There is one step at both the entrances of the church.

[ 3 ]
If you turn right, rather than left, off Calle Vallaresso you will enter Piazza San Marco via an arcade known as the Ala Napoleonica. You can enjoy a spectacular view from here but will need to go down three steps to reach the piazza. To enter the piazza without encountering barriers you'll need to leave the arcade, turn left into the narrow Calle del Salvadego and keep going until you reach Bacino Orseolo (a picturesque "parking lot" for gondolas). Keep right and you will reach the piazza via the arcades of the Procuratie Vecchie. Piazza San Marco has been the beating heart of the city's political and religious life for more than a thousand years and is the symbol
of the city itself.
In addition to the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) the Piazza San Marco Museums circuit includes:
the Museo Correr, the National Archaeological Museum and the Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Marciana. The entrance for visitors with impaired mobility is on Calle del Salvadego. You are advised to phone beforehand to make arrangements. Staff will place a ramp at the door to the hall leading to the lift (56x100 cm/22x40 in). A platform lift goes from the first to the second floor where the temporary exhibitions are held. You are advised to phone +39
041.2405211 beforehand.
[ 4 ]
Just below the Torre dell'Orologio (Clock Tower), one of the seminal buildings of the Venetian Renaissance (not accessible), you will find the entrance to the Mercerie, the famous shopping thoroughfare running from Piazza San Marco to Rialto.

[ 5 ]
From here you can go all the way to the Church of San Zulian without encountering obstacles.
The church houses works by Palma il Giovane. There are two entrances to the church: the main entrance has two low steps while the side entrance has one step only.

[ 6 ]
Going back to the Piazza, you can visit St Mark's Basilica. The most accessible entrance is the left entrance, although there is a small step (about 5 cm/2 in).
Inside the basilica, there are a number of difficulties in addition to the uneven floor:
- access to the Pala d'Oro altarpiece involves four fairly steep steps.
- the Treasury is in a side room with two relatively low steps at the entrance and one step on the
right and one on the left inside the room itself.
- to visit the museum, you need to contact the staff to use the lift to the second floor and the two
platform lifts making the entire route accessible.

[ 7 ]
When you leave the basilica, keep left and you will come to the Doge's Palace.
The public entrance is via Porta del Frumento (one low step) in the side of the palace overlooking the quay. If your wheelchair cannot negotiate the step you can enter the palace from Porta della Carta (on the side immediately after the basilica) which will take you to the palace courtyard with the monumental Giants' Staircase. On the ground floor, there are accessible toilets, a cafeteria, and a bookshop. A lift will take you to the first and second floors of the palace with the splendid council chambers and the Doge's Apartments.
[ 8 ]
Leaving the Doge's Palace via the Porta della Carta, you can admire the soaring Campanile di San Marco. By phoning beforehand (+39 - 041.5224064) you can access the bell tower via the side entrance. The staff will help you negotiate the steps to the lift that will take you up to the platform where you can enjoy a splendid bird's-eye view of the city.
[ 9 ]
The nearby quay has a splendid view of St Mark's Basin. If you keep going (left) you will come to one of Venice's oldest bridges, Ponte della Paglia. Going up the ramps you can see the famous Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs), a covered walkway made from Istrian stone along which prisoners were led from the Prisons to the chambers of the State Inquisitors for trial.
After the bridge, turn left into Calle dei Albanesi which will take you to the pretty little Piazza di San Filippo e Giacomo and the romantic cloister of Sant'Apollonia.