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| Santa Lucia Train Station, Venice |
Upon their arrival in Venice, Langdon and his party board a water taxi and travel to Piazza San Marco along the length of the Grand Canal.
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| Venice Water Taxi |
Santa Lucia, the patron saint of the blind, is buried in the Church of San Geremia.
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| Church of San Geremia |
At the other end of the Grand Canal is the Maritime Customs Office with its golden globe and weather vane.
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| Dogana da Mar, The Maritime Customs Office |
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| Customs Office Globe and Weather Vane |
(For more photos of the bridges and palazzos on the Grand Canal see an earlier post George Clooney's Grand Canal Wedding Cruise.)
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| The Approach to Piazza San Marco |
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| Cruise Ship and Gondolas in the Lagoon |
As Langdon approaches his favourite Venetian locale, the Riva degli Schiavoni, he recalls some of the landmarks found along the promenade: the Hotel Danieli, Vivaldi's church and the city's shipbuilding yards, the Arsenale.
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| The Riva degli Schiavoni Promenade |
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| The Hotel Danieli |
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| Victor Emmanuel II Monument |
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| Vivaldi's Church, La Pietà |
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| The Arsenale |
The pale pink Doge's Palace stands at the water's edge, connected to the doge's prison by the famous Bridge of Sighs.
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| The Doge's Palace |
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| The Bridge of Sighs |
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| The Gateway to Venice |
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| The Winged Lion of St. Mark's |
Napoleon once called Piazza San Marco "the most beautiful drawing room in Europe". St. Mark's Basilica was undergoing restoration work this summer so unfortunately the front facade was partially obscured by scaffolding.
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| Piazza San Marco, St. Mark's Square |
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| St. Mark's Clock Tower (left) and Basilica (right) |
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| St. Mark's Clock Tower |
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| Astronomical Clock |
On the southwest corner of St. Mark's Basilica stands The Tetrarchs, a porphyry sculpture looted from Constantinople during the Crusades. One of the figures is missing a foot.
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| The Tetrarchs |
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| The Missing Foot |
This sculpture isn't the only thing looted by the Venetians during the Crusades. On a balcony above the basilica's central arch stand copies of four bronze horses also taken from Constantinople. Even the remains of St. Mark himself were "rescued" from Alexandria in 828 A.D. The event is depicted in the mosaics above the far left door.
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| Central Arch of St. Mark's Basilica and the Bronze Horses |
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| The Return of St. Mark's Remains to Venice |
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| Detail of St. Mark's Coffin |
A recurring theme in Brown's novel is the plague doctor's mask, just one of many styles of mask worn during Carnevale festivities. This uniquely Venetian event is still celebrated today as it has been for centuries.
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| Pulcinella in Love, Tiepolo Ca' Rezzonico |
Masks, historical costumes and accessories are also sold for use in films, for example Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut which starred Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
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| Ca' Macana, Supplier of Masks for Eyes Wide Shut |
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| Carnevale Masks and Accessories |
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| The Plague Doctor's Mask |
I'm anxiously awaiting the film version of Inferno, with Tom Hanks once again starring as Robert Langdon. The anticipated release date is December, 2015.
These photos and more can be seen on my Pinterest board Dan Brown's Inferno: Venice.
Related Posts:
Dan Brown's Inferno: Florence in Photos
The Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
Dan Brown's Inferno: More Florence in Photos
Dan Brown's Inferno: Venice in Photos
Dan Brown's Inferno: The Art
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