Another View Of the Façade of the Basilica

The basilica was closed to public tours at 5:13 PM when Pat took this picture on April 30^th. We came back the next morning and gained entrance to the facility. The public area in the basilica is on the upper floors. The apse is not open to the public. We were sent up a narrow stone stairway at the front of the building, just inside the doors. This stairway is maybe 24" or 30" wide and the equivalent of 3 stories high. Surprisingly, those finished with their tour and leaving, had to use those same stairs. Everybody had to hug the walls to pass by one another. (US fire marshals would never allow this arrangement.) They collected the admission in the museum store at the top of the stairs. Then we were free to wander around the rooms to see the exhibits for as long as we wished to stay. Unfortunately, no pictures where allowed. I may scan a few of the pictures in the book I bought one of these days. We were, however, allowed to step out on the front balcony an take pictures of the piazza below. A couple of those follow.

Piazza San Marco From Basilica Balcony

These pictures were taken from the balcony above the center door. A door in the black glazed arch was open for public access to the balcony. The ground-level arches serve as the piazza side outer wall of the adjacent buildings. The ground-level loggia serves as covered pedestrian mall lined with shops. This arrangement makes a very nice shopping area. Tables and chairs are set for open-air food and beverage service. There were not many takers at 10:53 AM on May 1^st. The sign at the right side of the picture is advertising an exhibit of the Eiffel Tower in the adjacent museum. There is a similar long building with a shop-lined loggia across the piazza.

View Toward the Piazetta and the quay in St. Marc's Basin

The Piazetta or smaller square joins San Marco and is adjacent to the Doges Palace. The Red-buff brick building on the right is the bell tower displayed on the next page. Most of the people in the crowds below are in lines. Most are waiting to enter the basilica and the smaller line is for the bell tower.

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