Lovers of Renaissance art and culture often consider Venice as their Holy Grail. This Italian city acted the hub of a resurgence of learning and all forms of art and science in Europe from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries. Today one of the most enduring public spaces which acts as a witness to those times is the Piazza San Marco.

The Piazza San Marco is perhaps the most popular public square in Venice from where a visitor can take in an amazing cityscape of fantastic palaces, churches and monuments. The Doge’s Palace is one of the imposing sights visible from the Piazza. Also known as the Palazzo Ducale di Venzia it now houses the works of some of the greatest Italian Renaissance painters like Tintoretto, Veronese, Titian and others.

The ancient cathedral of Basilica di San Marco is another major attraction from the Piazza. The Basilica is one of the most striking examples of Renaissance Venetian architecture and even today draws hundreds of admiring visitors every day to its hallowed precincts.

The imposing Tower of Campanile as well as the quaintly-titled Bridge of Sighs are other fascinating sights not to be missed from the Piazza San Marco. Visitors to Venice can choose from the vast array of lodging options to decide their accommodation and one of the best ways to get started is to check out www.ooaha.com which offers the best Venice hotel deals.

Steeped as Venice is in the rich colours of Renaissance art, one of the most vibrant points of ancient culture in the city is the Piazza San Marco.

The Piazza is much more than a public square and in fact an entire day can be spent in just observing the many sights from the square. One of the most imposing views from the Piazza is that of the Basilica di San Marco, ancient cathedral exhibiting some of the most striking aspects of Venetian architecture.

Another delightful sight from the Piazza is the Doge’s Palace which is also known as the Palazzo Ducale di Venzia and now houses works of master painters like Titian, Tinteretto, Veronese and others. Among the other wonderful sights to be viewed from the Piazza are the romantically-named Bridge of Sighs and the imposing bell tower of Campanile.

The ancient Piazza San Marco of Venice dates back to the 9th century when it was just a bit of open space outside the Basilica. But in the latter half of the 12th century it was enlarged and reshaped into the now familiar three-sided area and soon evolved into a public space where the rich and ordinary, the rulers and the ruled met and mingled. Even today the Piazza is one of the few public squares in Europe which is at once painted with hues of history and rocks to the rhythms of the present.