This itinerary covers the south-west of the city, between the southern part of the sestiere of Santa Croce and the western limit of the sestiere of Dorsoduro. The various areas here have very distinct characteristics, which reflect that they were some of the earliest settled of all of Venice's insule. The vast expanses of water that had separated these islands for centuries were gradually drained and turned into gardens and orchards - most of which belonged to the large religious institutions that still owned them in the 19th century. The creation of Piazzale Roma and the tourist port have transformed the peripheral nature of this section of the city and had an effect not only on the economics of the area (which used to rely on manufacturing crafts) but also on its very physical fabric. Another important factor in this change has been the two Universities that have their main faculty buildings in this zone. They have undoubtedly played a part in revitalizing the area - in fact, one could perhaps describe Campo Santa Margherita as Venice's university campus. More than any other, this itinerary will concentrate on those works of the Venetian masters that can be seen in situ: Tintoretto and Tiepolo can be seen the Scuola Grande of San Rocco and dei Carmini respectively, Veronese at the Church of San Sebastiano, Fumiani at San Pantalon and the incomparable Titian at the Church of the Frari. Starting from Campo Santa Margherita (1), one can either set off northwards towards the Frari and Tolentini, or else go south-east towards the Mendicoli and San Sebastiano. At the foot of the Ponte di Santa Margherita, Campo San Pantalon (2) is our first stop. The raw brick facade of the Church of San Pantalon disguises the fact that the building contains the most surprising expression of Baroque art in Venice - that is, the masterpieces of Giovanni Antonio Fumiani, painted between 1680 and 1714. All in all, forty enormous canvases are linked up to envelop the entire interior in a single pictorial space where Scenes from the Life and Martyrdom of San Pantaleone are depicted in severe foreshortening. A short distance away - at number 3718 in Campiello Angaran (3) - you can see a rare marble bas-relief medaillion of a Byzantine Emperor of the 9th or 10th century. Taking Calle San Pantalon, then Calle dei Preti and Calle di Fianco della Scuola, you get to Campo Castelforte San Rocco (4).
This is bound by two canals, the portico of the Scuola Grande and Antonio Scarpagnino's 16th-century Castelforte San Rocco: the Confraternity's main piece of real estate, this building provided accommodation for its members. A few steps brings you into the monumental campo, where the Renaissance exuberance of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco (5) contrasts with the more sober Gothic lines of the Church of Santa Maria Glorioisa dei Frari (6). To the masterpieces on view in these two buildings, one should also add those that can be seen in the Church of San Rocco (7), which houses works by Sebastiano Ricci, Andrea Schiavone, the odd surviving fresco by Pordenone and other works by Jacopo Tintoretto. The 18th-century facade of the church takes its inspiration from the facace of the Scuola; though the interior has been remodelled several times, one can still see the cupola-ed presbytery that was part of Bertolomeo Bon's original designs for the building (1489-1508). To the side of the Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (the last word being a Venetian contraction of frati minori - Minor Friars) is the facade of the former Monastery (8), which is now the Venice State Archives. Over Ponte dei Frari, you come to the old "O. Toppo" CafŽ (number 2564) (9), which is decorated with a cycle of frecoes painted at the beginning of this century by G.L. Sormani, who took scenes of 18th-century Venetian life as his inspiration. The fondamenta leads to a bridge into Campo San Stin (that is, Santo Stefano Confessore)(10), which has a fine wellhead. Taking Calle dell'Ogio and then turning right, you soon come to the marble decoration of Campo San Giovanni Evangelista (11). Together with the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista, this forms a unique whole of late 15th-century architecture. Calle della Lacca and Fondamenta delle Sacchere (12) bring you to the siie of the large Monastery of San Niccolò da Tolentino (13), now the main faculty building for the Venice University Institute of Architecture. The Church's majestic pronaos of Corinthinan columns gives onto Campo dei Tolentini, the canal side of which is bound by an elegant Baroque balustrade. This space was laid out by the architect Andrea Tirali, who managed work here between 1706 and 1714, following the original projects drawn up by Vincenzo Scamozzi (who had already overseen the beginning of work on the church and monastery). Rio dei Tolentini leads into Rio del Gafaro (15), one of the finest canals in the city, flanked by fondamenta on both sides. Amongst the various noteworthy buildings dating from different periods, one should mention the Veneto-Byzantine style house (16) that the architect Giuseppe Torres designed for his family in 1907-8. Passing diagonally across Campiello Mosca (17) one gets back to Campo San Pantalon, and thence to Campo Santa Margherita. On the eastern side of this campo one can still see the remains of a Byzantine casa/fondaco (the typical Venetian mix of residence and business premises): five of the six arches of the arcade have been bricked in, but the Gothic facade onto the canal is more complete.
At the southern end of the campo stands the Scuola Grande dei Carmini (19), an important religious institution that is famous for its Tiepolos. To the left of the Scuola, a 14th-century porch marks the side entrance to the Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo or Dei Carmini (20). Its atmospheric interior is a mix of various architectural styles. One should not miss the 16th-century altarpieces by Cima da Conegliano and Lorenzo Lotto and the small but dramatic bronze masterpiece by Giorgio Martini - a Deposition from the Cross - made around 1474 for Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino. Passing along the Fondamenta del Soccorso you come to the 18th-century Palazzo Zenobio (21), which now houses the Armenian College, and a little further ahead on the other side of the canal, Palazzo Arian-Cicogna (22), a flamboyant Gothic palace. Going down Fondamenta Briati - which gets its name from the famous glass-works that used to be here in the 18th century - you reach Ponte dell'Angelo Raffaele and the parish church of the same name (23), one of the oldest in the city. Frequent remodelling has entirely eradicated the charm of the old building; however, inside, you can see the Story of Tobias and the Angel (1750-53), the paintings that are Giovanni Antonio Guardi's absolute masterpiece. The fondamenta eventually brings you to the Church of San Nicol˜ dei Mendicoli (24), the campo of which is entirely surrounded by water. Mendicoli derives from the Italian word for mendicants, and arises from the poor state of the craftsmen and fishermen who used to live here. The name was eventually applied to the entire area - though, rather less offensively, the inhabitants themselves became known as "Nicolotti". One of the oldest communities in the lagoon - there is record of the community from well before the days of the doges - the people here jealously maintained a certain autonomy throughout the hisotry of the Venetian Republic. The day they elected their own Gastaldo [Chamberlain] was a public holiday here; and you can still see the standard of the Nicolotti flying in the middle of this campo. The rival community within the city was the Castellani - and the two communities were famous for the, more or less officially tolerated, fights they staged on various occasions (the most famous including those that were fought at Ponte dei Pugni (25)). On the other side of the canal is the 1888 Venice Cotton Mill (26). It is now being converted into faculty buildings by the Venice University Institute of Architecture. Returning to the apse of the Church of Angelo Raffaele, one comes to a complex unit formed of three consecutive campi, whose buildings form a harmonious architetcural whole. The scene is dominated by the unusual apse of the Church of San Sebastiano (27). Attributed to Antonio Scarpignano and built in the first decades of the 16th century, this building is a treasure chest of the work of Paolo Veronese (who loved the church so much he chose to be buried here). Inside you can also see masterpieces by Titian, Andrea Schiavone, Jacopo Sansovino and Alessandro Vittoria.
Passing along Calle dell'Avogaria, which leads into Calle Lunga San Barnaba, you come finally to the Church of San Barnaba (28) itself. The recent restoration is universally considered to have turned the facade into a papier-machŽ stage set (it was in the very unlikely "catacombs" of this church that Steven Spielberg set some scenes of his Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 1989). The Calle and Sottoportego del Casin Dei Nobili that lead into the campo record the fact that this used to be the site of one of the most famous of the many ridotti and casini there used to be in Venice. Another curiosity is the Veentian word "barnabotto", used to described am impoverished nobleman. It derives from the fact that the parish of San Barbaba used to provided hospitality and assistance for genltefolk who had fallen on hard times. Rio di San Barnaba gives a fine view the palaces on the canal and of the busy local life around Ponte dei Pugni (25). At the foot of the bridge is a a local fixture - a barge selling fruit and vegetables. Beyond the bridge, one can see the land entrance to Ca' Rezzonico - the Museum of 18th-Century Venice (28), and the Grand Canal beyond. If, however, you continue along Rio Terˆ Canal (29) you get back into Campo Santa Margherita.
