Statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni

You’ll know you’ve crossed from Cannaregio into Castello when you spot Bartolomeo Colleoni galloping out to meet you. The bronze equestrian statue is one of only two such public monuments in Venice, commemorating one of Venice’s more loyal mercenary mainland commanders. From 1448, Colleoni commanded armies for the Republic – though in true mercenary form he switched sides a couple of times when he felt he’d been stiffed on pay or promotions. On his death in 1474, he bequeathed 216,000 gold and silver ducats and even more in property to Venice, on one condition: that the city erect a commemorative statue to him in Piazza San Marco. Since not even a doge had ever won such pride of place in Venice, the Senate found a loophole by reading a clause into the contract: the grand statue would be placed in the Piazza in front of the Scuola Grande di San Marco instead. At least Colleoni can rest easy that the Republic didn’t scrimp on the statue, sculpted with imposing grandeur by Verrocchio (1435–88).