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 Standing next to the campanile, you have the best view of the
Venetians' genius for mixing up architectural styles to produce
a picturesque ensemble.
On the left is the Byzantine St Mark's,
on the right the Venetian Gothic Doge's Palace and behind you
the monumental, High Renaissance Library by Jacopo Sansovino
dating from the 1530s. They sum up the history of Venice: at
first in thrall to Constantinople, then breaking free and establishing
her own independence, before acquiring an empire on the terra
firma of the Veneto and falling under the influence of mainland
Italy.
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