BASILICA DI SAN MARCO - Sestiere of San Marco, VIII sec. -

Built in the eight century for the Doge (Serenissima's Leader), nowadays is the proof of the Venetian colonial expansion as it's been built with all the materials brought here from East (Turkey). Saint's relic comes from East as well, and even there's no certainty about its historical identity it still remaines one of the most important imagines of the entire Venice.
Facade has five entrances, each owning an arch above with decoration, but only the last entrance on the left comes from original Byzantinian age. Main entrance was once dominated by the Four Horses - now kept at San Marco Museum - sent to doge Enrico Dandolo from Costantinopoli during the Fourht Crusade (1204). There's no coherence both in materials (different columns and shapes...) both in using them but the final result is something really harmonic and even formal.
Real treasure is inside: with more than two square kilometres of mosaics, Basilica result a precious jewel, both for the gold profusion both for the quality of the skill used to placed them. The dome with L'Ascensione (The Ascension), or La lavanda dei piedi (Feet Wash), or La Crocefissione (The Crucifixion) show the debit of Venice with Byzantinian culture, while a scene with The Dancing Salomé in the baptistry respects an international Gothic taste.
Central greek plan supports five domes referring in a architectural way to the model of Santa Sofia in Instambul, once called Costantinopoli, the city that used to share many economic interests with Venice.