This is one of the leading monumental squares in Italy. In the background is Venice's cathedral, the Church of Saint Mark. In the foreground is the Doge's Palace, which was both the residence of the sitting doge and the center of civil rule in Venice.

Vast sums were expended on the construction of both buildings, which are lavish both inside and outside.

There is perhaps one defect in the palace - the absence of a really clear principal entrance. (The entrance is not readily visible in this photograph in any case.) In most cases, the principal entrance of a monumental building is located in the center and is so clearly defined as to be unmistakable. This is so, in the case of the cathedral - the entrance is in the center of the principal façade and is framed by the largest arch.

There were originally to have been three monumental columns here, but one of them was lost over the side of a barge while being unloaded, so only two were ever erected. Public hangings used to be conducted between the two columns, and Venetians consider it bad luck to walk between them. Venice is rich in legend and lore, one of the things that makes it a unique treasure.

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