After a leisurely breakfast we left the hotel at 9:30 for the Doges Palace and San Marco square and church. The weather was 40ish degrees cool, with fog and drizzle. Our group wound our way through the streets and over the bridges of Venice enjoying the cool quiet of morning. Dr. Leopardi lectured about the history of Venice and how it was very different than the history of both Florence and Siena. We spent time outside both San Marco Church and the Doges palace, then we went in to the latter and did a walking tour of the personal rooms, legislative rooms, and finally down to the prisons that are under the the palace. As always, when you don't see pictures of what I'm talking about, that is because no pictures are allowed in where we are. An internet search will yield a good idea of what we are seeing however. Next was the church of San Marco with its Roman horses, Byzantine mosaics and other art from the time period we are most interested. It was interesting to see the styles of art that spanned centuries all in one place. The art and views had been amazing in spite of the cold and damp conditions. The church and palace have no climate control. Lunch was next on the agenda. Some students elected to go to Verona for the afternoon, others stayed in Venice for all it has to offer.
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