Dominating Piazza San Marco, Basilica di San Marco is one of the most admired symbols of the artistic and architectural beauty of Italy. It has it all: elegance, wonderful Italo-Byzantine style and by sumptuous decorations of mosaics, marbles, columns and sculptures.

What started out as the doge of Venice’s private chapel (next door to the palace) easily eclipsed the official cathedral of the city, Basilica di San Pietro in Castello. Twice rebuilt, the Greek cross layout design has remained (largely) intact from 1094 CE.

Façade – The breath-taking five niche and mosaics are a sight to behold and provide the viewer a taste of what is to come inside. The mosaics inside the niches depict the story of St Mark, the patron saint of Venice, whose body was spirited away from Egypt back to Venice stored in pig fat, to avoid the Muslim Egyptians inspecting the body.

Mosaics – The interior is deliberately imposing, with its three naves and three domes inspired by the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. The gilded mosaics earned the basilica the nickname Chiesa d’Oro (Church of Gold). The shimmering effect of the mosaics comes from the tesserae using a gold ‘sandwich’ technique (gold leaf between two layers of glass).