San Giovanni e Paolo Venice
Church and hospital
This is absolutely my favorite corner to go and eat a frittella (pancake) during the carnival or an ice cream during a sunny afternoon while sitting outside on the tables of Rosa Salva (some of the best pastries in Venice).
The square is dominated by the majestic church of San Giovanni e Paolo, built 8 centuries ago. San Giovanni e Paolo is an amazing basilica in the Castello area. It is also known as San Zipolo among Venetians or "The Pantheon of Doges" because numerous doges and nobles of the Venetian Republic are buried there.
What is stunning is that the facade of the church is sided by a rather different facade: an authentic Renaissance beauty which used to be the entrance of the “Scuola Grande di San Marco” and nowadays is the hospital of Venice.
It is kind of unusual to find the main hospital located in a masterpieces of Renaissance architecture in Venice. In fact, the building can be visited, at least the main entrance rooms, where there are permanent exhibitions.
This square has also been the set of many films and TV series. The last one shot there was the TV series by Paolo Sorrentino 'The Young Pope'.
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