Venice – Santa Croce

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Santa Croce is the westernmost sestriere of Venice. While there are a few historic buildings and museums, especially going toward the city center, Santa Croce is mostly famous for being a transportation hub, hosting the main port and car parkings.

✪ Ca’ Pesaro

Ca’ Pesaro is one of the most splendid palaces facing the Grand Canal of Venice. The Baroque building was designed by Baldassarre Longhena and erected between 1652 and 1710, and it has now been turned into a museum complex. The bottom floors host the International Gallery of Modern Art (Galleria Internazionale d’Arte Moderna), which houses a large collection of 19th and 20th century art with works by artists such as Klimt and De Chirico. The top floor is instead occupied by the Museum of Oriental Art (Museo d’Arte Orientale), one of the richest museums of Asian art in Europe, mostly focused on the Edo period of Japan.

Natural History Museum of Venice

The Natural History Museum of Venice (Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia) is located inside the richly decorated Gothic palace Fondaco dei Turchi, facing the Grand Canal. Included in its large scientific collection is an incredible complete skeleton of Ouranosauros, among many other fossils. The museum also hosts a varied zoological exhibition, with many specimens of the local marine biology.

Church of San Giacomo dall’Orio

The Church of San Giacomo dall’Orio originated around the 9th century and it features a beautiful 13th-century bell tower. While the facade is really simple, it hosts many artworks by famous artists inside, including a wonderful altarpiece by Lorenzo Lotto.

Church of San Stae

The Church of San Stae is a Baroque church facing the Grand Canal, built during the Middle Ages but with a facade dating from 1709. The facade is richly adorned with elaborate statues, while the interior also features numerous artworks and painting by some of the main Venetian artists of the time.

Palazzo Mocenigo di San Stae

The Renaissance Palazzo Mocenigo di San Stae hosts an interesting museum of perfumes and costumes, with a rich collection of ancient fabrics and clothes. The museum also includes a library focused on the history of fashion.

Church of San Simeon Piccolo

The Church of San Simeone Piccolo has ancient origins and was initially much smaller, but in the 18th century a large dome was built on top of it. The peculiar structure, that stands out among the other buildings, and its location on the Grand Canal just in front of the railway station, make now this church one of the most iconic ones in the city, despite lacking any artistic masterpiece.

Church of San Nicola da Tolentino

Also known as: Church of the Tolentini

The Church of San Nicola da Tolentino is a Neoclassical church featuring a large portico on its facade. The interior hosts a truly impressive series of paintings, frescoes, and decorations that cover all the walls and the ceiling. Here there are also some funerary monuments including the tombs of some doges.