With the form of a large fishtail reaching out to the Venice Lido, the vast sestiere of Castello stretches back into the city almost as far as St. Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge itself. But whilst the sestiere of St. Mark's is reasonably homogeneous, Castello is a heterogeneous mix of different urban settings, each of which has its own history. This itinerary will try to avoid those areas most afflicted by heavy tourism. The walk is rather long, but its variety makes it far from banal. An ideal excursion for a sunny summer afternoon, it will culminate in a return stroll along the edge of St.Mark's Basin in the evening sunlight. We start in Campo San Bartlomeo (1), at the foot of the Rialto Bridge (2). With the statue of Carlo Goldoni at one's back (for information on him, see Casa Goldoni), pass through the sottoportego della Bissa and go on to the bridge over Rio della Fava, which is flanked by various attractive palaces, including the small and charming Palazzo Gussoni (3), built at the end of the 15th century. Dating from the same period is the Gussoni family chapel in nearby Church of San Lio (that is, San Leo)(4). It is worth making the short detour to the Church of the Consolazione or della Fava (5), where one can see works by the famous trio of early 18th-century artists: G.B. Tiepolo, G.B. Piazzetta and G.M. Morlaiter (all within a fine setting of the same period, designed by the architect Giorgio Massari).
Back on the busy Salizzada di San Lio, go as far as the Calle del Paradiso (6) on the right. Passing down there and over the bridge at the end, you are almost in Campo di Santa Maria Formosa (7). Walking around the fine Renaissance church you get to the atmospheric campo. Beyond the canal that bounds the other side stands the Palazzo Querini Stampalia (8), which houses the Foundation, Library and Art Gallery of the same name. Leaving the campo by Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa (9), you then turn right into Calle Pinelli (10). Beyond the bridge you can see the imposing brick mass of the Church of San Giovanni e Paolo and then its spectacular campo (11), with its various public buildings and monuments. Moving eastwards down the Barbaria delle Tole, you pass the Church of the Ospedaletto (12) and, shortly beyond that, the entrance to the courtyard of Palazzo Magno (13). Shortly before reaching Campo di San Francesco della Vigna (15), you come to the surviving part of the facade of the Church of Santa Giustina (14), designed in 1640 by Baldassare Longhena for the old church that was part of a large and important religious foundation. Though outside the city centre, this area is very rich in art and history. Bordering on the oldest part of the Arsenale, it was originally occupied by large private gardens and monasteries and convents. With a good map and a good sense of direction (or else, relying totally on the directions given by passers-by) make for the Church of San Martino (16). There are various routes you can take. From Campo della Gate (where the poet Ugo Foscolo lived - at number 3224 - from 1792 to 1797), you soon get to the Scuola of San Giorgio Dalmata (18). Otherwise, you can go in the opposite direction towards Campo della Celestia (19) - named after a now demolished Cistercian convent (in the construction of which Andrea Palladio seems to have played a role). In Calle Magno (20) you come to Ca' Magno(at numbwr 2693) - a fine example of Venetian domestic architecture of the second half of the 14th century, with a beautiful courtyard and original fittings and dooors. When you get to Campo Due Pozzi (21) you are in the heart of the small residential quarter designed to house the craftsmen who worked at the Arsenale (the so-called Arsenalotti): note the official identification of the lodgings, as at number 2446. Campo delle Gorne takes its name from the large water spouts atop the outside wall (23) of the Arsenale. From there you get to the Church of San Martino (24), with its Neo-Renaissance facade, and thence to the marvellous Campo dell'Arsenale (25), with its Main Gateway and the four Arsenale Lions. On the other side of the Rio dell'Arsenale cross both the Campo and the fondamenta della Tana (26) and then take the Calle del Forno that cuts it at right angles. This will bring you to the wide Via Garibaldi (27). The east end of the street still has the original form of a canal flanked by two fondamenta. The fondamenta of the left - San Gioacchino - leads off into a tight network of alleyways that recall those on the island of Burano. Further on, one comes to the bridge which links the sestiere of Castello with the Island of San Pietro the extreme limit of the archipelago of islands that form Venice proper. This was one of the first areas to be settled and developed, and was the site of the original Diocese of the city. As all the guide books point out the Church of San Pietro (28) is still the Cathedral of Venice - but since 1807 it has shared the rank with St. Mark's Basilica.
Although it takes a long walk to get there, Campo San Pietro di Castello is one of those Venetian places that is well worth a visit. The large green area is bound by the facade of the church, the imposing white mass of the free-standing fifteenth-century campanile, the old Bishop's Palace and, on the other side of the canal, by the massive walls of the Arsenale, which give one an impression of the rather slow pace of the shipyards beyond. After the Island of San Pietro, the last stop on this walk is the Island of Sant'Elena. To reach it you have to cross the Public Gardens (29), part of which are occupied by the Venice Biennale and its famous pavilions (30). The Sant'Elena district is built on land that was reclaimed and developed in the 19th century: formerly it was a military parade ground but was then developed with low-cost housing projects that mix eclecticism and the style of Europe's first "garden cities". The whole effect is that of a rather amusing backdrop for an operetta. At the far east of the island, between the sports fields and the prestigious F. Morosini Naval College, there stands the Church of Sant'Elena (32), with its old cloister.
The return route is along the main Riva leading back to St. Mark's. This takes you past other buildings of interest, such as the a href="/../marinarezza.html">Marinarezze (33), the Naval History Museum (34), the former Arsenale kilns (35) and Campo San Giovanni in Bragora (36) - just of the Riva, the church here contains some very important paintings. Finally one passes by the Church of the Pietà (27) and - in a very quiet campo of its own - the extraordinary Church of San Zaccaria (38). You can also take ACTV public transport back from Sant'Elena if you wish. The boat trip gives you a fine view of the water approach to St. Mark's, the setting Venetians used to choose for the reception of their illustrious visitors from overseas.
