Scuola Grande Di San Marco

Lonely Planet review

Standing at right angles to the Chiesa dei SS Giovanni e Paolo is the eye-catching marble frontage of this scuola . Pietro Lombardo and his sons all worked on what was once one of the most important of Venice's religious confraternities. Codussi put the finishing touches on this Renaissance gem.

Have a closer look and, apart from the predictably magnificent lions, you will notice the sculpted trompe l'oeil perspectives covering much of the lower half of the façade. Inside, the timber beams of the ceiling are held up by two ranks of five columns.

Nowadays the scuola is the main entrance to the Ospedale Civile. Beyond, in what were the Convento dei Domenicani and the Chiesa di San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti, is the hospital proper. You can wander just inside the entrance of the former scuola itself, although technically you're not really supposed to if you're not here on the business of ill health.