The church of San Giorgio Maggiore sits just where it should sit…where it needs to sit.

“Here is what I like about San Giorgio Maggiore: its front-and-center location...”

Yes, it is placed where it is best viewed by the millions who have visited Venice over the centuries. That place is its own little island just off the eastern tip of the Giudecca Island of the Venetian lagoon. That’s it dead-center in the aerial photo.

I like this church, sitting on its own little island. Read on to see why.

The island of San Giorgio Maggiore is dead center

The Church

The church interior isn’t as charming as many in Italy…as a matter of fact, it’s a bit austere. It gets its just attention from the location just across the Bacino San Marco (St Mark’s Basin) from the heart of Venice, Piazza San Marco. If you’ve browsed photos of Venice, you’ve most likely seen the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore.

‘San Giorgio Maggiore’ you’re wondering? That’s ‘Saint George the Major’…not to be confused with any lesser Saint Georges. This is the one that slayed the dragon in the days of dragons. Be thankful that his work gave us one less thing to be worrying about these days.

There was an original church sitting in the same location in about 790. That church was given over to the Benedictine monks. But alas, in 1223, the buildings of the island were destroyed by an earthquake. The very famous architect of his time, Palladio, came along in the 16th century, and he built the present Palladian-looking church.

The Benedictines

Benedictines? I don’t know much about them. But, I do know that if they had anything to do with creating the liqueur known as ‘Benedictine’, which is a key ingredient of ‘Benedictine and Brandy,’' further known by those of us who know it well as simply “B&B” — then I give them kudos for their early work at distillation. I think they are also known for chanting whilst thumping themselves on the forehead with their tomes of supplication…though I’m not sure that Monty Python and the Holy Grail is considered serious history.

The Campanile

Prominent when viewing the church is the campanile, also known as a bell tower.

You can see both the church and its campanile in this night-time, time-lapse photo.

The campanile was built just before Columbus headed west into the sunset, but it suffered the embarrassment of collapse in 1774. It was soon rebuilt to its present, stable (we hope) stance. It’s this campanile that gives the church my own blessing.

So, What’s There to Like?

Here is what I like about San Giorgio Maggiore: its front-and-center location and the great view of, and from, the afore mentioned campanile. You’ve seen the pirate movies where the pirate captain has his spyglass up to his eye, seeing a captain of another ship spying right back at him, right? That’s how it works for San Giorgio Maggiore…while you are spying it from across the basin, you are being spied upon right back from that well endowed campanile. The point? You get a superb view of the main island of Venice from the campanile, and versa vice.

Check Out the Views — Of San Giorgio Maggiore

Here are photos I’ve taken over the years of San Giorgio Maggiore.

And here is Glenn’s favorite view of San Giorgio Maggiore.

Check Out the Views — From San Giorgio Maggiore

So, here we will be spying back the other way, just like Craig and Leslie are doing, here.

The expansive view of the Venetian sestiere of San Marco

If we turn our backs to Venice proper, we get a view of the Benedictine hedge maze, called ‘Labirinto Borges’ . It looks to be a great plot element for a Venetian mystery novel, complete with Benedictine monks chanting and sipping a B&B or two whilst being maze-chased by a despicable monk-loathing villain.

And then there’s the view of the exclusive Hotel Cipriani, of the-only-swimming-pool-in-Venice fame.

The Man Himself

Whilst making one’s way around the campanile, you will get a view of Saint George, himself…standing atop the dome of the church. But, here’s a mystery for you.

In this photo that I took in 2012, we see that alas, Saint George may not have gotten the best of that dragon as reported throughout history!

But ahhh, here we are during our 2018 visit, and we find that St George has been able to assemble all his parts into one place, including his famed dragon-killing spear. Great recovery, George!

I’ll leave you with a view captured by Claude Monet, just one of many he produced in a series featuring San Giorgio Maggiore.

Claude_Monet,_Saint-Georges_majeur_au_crépuscule.jpg

I highly recommend that you visit the church of San Giorgio Maggiore during your Venetian explorations. The view from the campanile is all-encompassing, and on a clear day, you might be treated to a backdrop of the Alps.

It is a quick vaporetto ride from either the Zattera vaporetto stop of Dorsoduro, or the San Zaccaria stop of San Marco. And don’t fret over climbing several flights of steps to get to the observation deck, as an elevator will carry you there, leaving your breathily exhalation for the view.

Ciao for now,

Steve

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The Contrast

USA: Dinner, a drive, a movie, a drive...to bed.

Venice: Dinner...lingering over dinner...a stroll through quiet streets...orchestral music on the Piazza San Marco until the midnight bell tolls...to bed.

“Three of the restaurants on the Piazza have orchestra stands from which music entertains you througout the evening”

There is a big difference between the evenings in Italy and in the US.

Dinner in Italy is unhurried. There is no rush. Your dinner partner(s) and waitstaff are your entertainment. Each course arrives at just the appropriate time. The wine level in the bottle seems to lower at just the right pace. There is no rush. A grappa will be offered at some point after dessert. There is no rush. There is no rush. You've finally gotten it through your head...there is no rush. You won't receive your bill until you ask for it...'Il Conto, per favore'. Never were you rushed. This is your evening.

And after dinner? When the sun dims, the evening begins to shine for us. The heat of the day has been lifted. Campos which were full of vendors during the day have been miraculously cleared for outdoor dining. People are laughing and having a good time. After dinner, those fortunate to stay overnight in Venice are heading to Piazza San Marco for the nightly concert...or should I say, concerts.

The Piazza

There is only one gathering space in Venice large enough to be called a 'piazza' -- the rest are piazzetta or campo. Surrounded on three sides by consistent city buildings and on the fourth by the Basilica San Marco, Piazza San Marco is huge.

Here is a photo of the Piazza that was taken in January from the balcony of the Basilica...if you haven't been to Venice, trust me that only in the winter will you find so few people here.

Panorama of Piazza San Marco taken from the balcony of Basilica San Marco

Note that you can see the base of the Campanile (bell tower) in the photo. Here is the top of the Campanile, where the bell is located. The bell tolls an important event in your evening.

Original Campanile in ruins after its collapse

But, this is not the original campanile which was completed in 1514. Here is a photo of the original campanile, after its collapse on July 14, 1902 at 9:45am. Not as tall as it was the day before. Today's campanile was completed in 1912. And alas, though there were 5 bells (all tuned to a different octave of 'A') in the original campanile, each named and having its own tolling function, four of the bells were destroyed in the disaster, so that today there is only one bell.

One of the joys...I guess it's a joy...are the pigeons of the piazza. In the past, one could purchase bird feed to attract these pesky birds. But, the wise city fathers have now prohibited the act to try to reduce the number of pigeons on the piazza.

Concert Time

In the two photos below, which were taken in the evening from the Campanile, you see the sights of your entertainment for the evening.

Three of the restaurants on the Piazza have orchestra stands from which music entertains you througout the evening. On the left in the top photo is the Caffe Florian. In the lower photo are Ristorante Quadri on the left and Cafe Lavena on the right.

To avoid the cacophony of sound that would result from all of the orchestras playing at the same time, they take turns. So, if you stand in the middle of the Piazza, you can wander from one side to the other to enjoy the music. Want to dance with your partner? Go ahead. Want to sit down for a cappuccino or soda? Go ahead, but expect to pay a hefty cover charge. But either way, you will enjoy the evening of music.

Here are some photos of the musicians as they make their music...just for you.

The Evening's End

At midnight, all will be finished. You will know the time by the one, solitary tolling of the Marangona bell of the campanile. It's now time to return to your hotel. Tomorrow will bring many more memories for the two of you in the world's most magical city.

No dinner and a movie here...just dinner and memories to last a life time.