Venice/Santa Croce
sestiere in Venice
Santa Croce is one of the six sestieri of Venice, occupying the northwest part of the main islands. The district includes the Piazzale Roma, home to Venice's bus station and car parks, and around which is the only area of the city in which cars can travel. The tourist attractions lie mostly in the eastern part of the quarter, and include the churches of San Nicolo da Tolentino, San Giacomo dell'Orio, and San Zan Degola; the Fondaco dei Turchi; the Museum of the History of Fabric and Costume at Palazzo Mocenigo; the Patrician Palace; and Ca' Corner della Regina.
Get in
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Map of Venice/Santa Croce
- See also: Venice#Getin
Arrival to Santa Croce is straightforward, it's the district that most travelers will arrive into if travelling by bus, car or tram. Piazzale Roma being the main hub for transportation, both trams and buses from the mainland terminate here. If arriving by train, the terminus railway station Venezia Santa Lucia railway station is just metres across the Ponte degli Scalzi bridge from the sestieri of Cannaregio.
From other parts of Venice, walking or using a vaporetto ferry is the most convenient way of reaching Santa Croce.
- 1 Municipal Parkering Garage (Autorimessa Comunale), Santa Croce, 496 (At Piazzale Roma). Main parking garage in Venice. When built in 1933, it was the largest in the world. Reservation beforehand is essential.
- 2 S. Andrea Car Park, Piazzale Roma, ☏ +39 041 2727304. Open 24 hours every day all the year round. Inside the Autorimessa, accessible from Rio Terà S. Andrea, for short term parking. Cars must not be higher than 2 m. The ticket price is €7 for 2 hours. No advance reservation. You can download a map how to reach the S. Andrea car park.
Get around
editWalking is the obvious way of navigating the small alleys.
See
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- 1 San Simeone Piccolo (Opposite the Santa Lucia train station across the Canal Grande). The last church built in Venice. One of the things that it is recognized for is the fact that they celebrate Tridentine Mass on Sundays. It is also recognized for its dome because it is used to make the church look taller than it is and the dome itself is entirely covered with lead sheet.
- 2 San Giacomo dell'Orio Church, Campo S. Giacomo da l'Orio, 1587. Founded in the 9th century, the current church was built in 1225.
- 3 San Simeone Profeta (Chiesa di San Simeone profeta).
- 4 Tolentini Church (Chiesa di San Nicolò da Tolentino), Campo dei Tolentini, 30135. Historic church completed in 1714.
- 5 Natural History Museum (Museo di Storia Naturale), Salizada del Fontego dei Turchi, 1730 (Vaporetto line 1 to Riva di Biasio), ☏ +39 041 2700 303. Jun-Oct: 10:00-18:00; Nov-Mar: Tu F 09:00-17:00, Sat S 10:00-18:00. 11 exhibition halls with sections on palaeontology, explorations and nature. A MUVE museum. Adults €8, reduced €5.50.
- 6 Mocenigo Palace Museum (Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo, Centro Studi die Storia del Tessuto e del Costume), Santa Croce, 1992 (Vaporetto line 1 to San Stae), ☏ +39 041 721798. Apr-Oct: 10:00-17:00, Nov-Mar: 10:00-16:00; closed M, Dec 26, Jan 1, May 1. A collection of clothes dating from the 18th century. Splendid interior. Collection of dresses and accessories, fabrics, books, figurines in various period costumes. A MUVE museum. Adults €5, reduced €3.50.
- 7 Ca' Pesaro - International Modern Art Gallery (Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderne), Santa Croce 2076 (Vaporetto line 1 to San Stae), ☏ +39 041 524695. Nov-Mar: 10:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: 10:00-18:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1. Modern art collection, paintings of the 19th and 20th century. A MUVE museum. Adults €14, reduced €11.50 (valid for both museums in the Ca' Pesaro).
- 8 Ca' Pesaro - Museum of Oriental Art (Museo d'arte Orientale di Ca Pesaro), Santa Croce 2076 (Vaporetto line 1 to San Stae), ☏ +39 041 5241173. Nov-Mar 10:00 to 17:00, Apr-Oct: 10 :00-18:00, closed M, Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1. Beautiful palace housing the gallery of modern art focusing on Italian art in the 19th century as well as the Marco Polo Museum, a rich collection mainly of Asian exhibits (fabrics, clothes, armours, porcelain). A MUVE museum. Adults €14, reduced €11.50 (valid for both museums in the Ca' Pesaro).
- 9 Giardini Papadopoli. One of the few public parks in Venice.
Do
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editMid-range
edit- 5 Il Refolo, Ramo Quinto Gallion O del Pezzetto, 1459, ☏ +39 041 524 0016. Nice restaurant at a small piazza. Very good pizza as well as a decent menu. Pizza about €10, four-course meal with wine €60.
- 6 Osteria Ae Cravate, Salizada San Pantalon, 36 (500 m east from Piazzale Roma), ☏ +39 041 528 7912. This little restaurant is frequented by the professors of the nearby university. Warm welcome and a good eat. Try their raw artichoke salad or their fish of the day.
- 7 Osteria Mocenigo, Salizada San Stae, 1919 (Near the Mocenigo museum), ☏ +39 041 523 1703. Open Tu-Su. Little restaurant frequented by locals. Be sure to try their antipasti. Excellent desserts too. €40 for two-courses meal with wine.
- 8 Pasticceria Rio Marin, Fondamenta Rio Marin, 784, ☏ +39 041 718 523. Coffee shop that serves excellent tiramisùs.
Splurge
editIce cream
edit- 9 Gelateria Alaska, Santa Croce 1159 (Close to the railway station), ☏ +39 041 877 8479. 11AM-10PM, opening times vary. Ice cream made with natural ingredients by Carlo Pistacchi, not only the owner but an artist, a poet and a philosopher.
Drink
edit- 1 Osteria da Filo, Santa Croce, 1539, ☏ +39 041 524 6554. An excellent place to fill up on some aperitifs and meet the local student crowd. Aperol Spritz is €2.50, a bargain for being in central Venice. The bar also hosts live music from time to time.
- 2 Bacareto da Lele, Fondamenta dei Tolentini, 183, ☏ +39 347 846 9728. A Venetian institution that's been around since 1968. This minuscule bar serves cheap wine, a small glass is just one euro, and excellent cichetti to go along. Queuing is the norm, but the bartenders are very quick and you'll be served in no time. A great place to rub shoulders with the real Venetians.
Sleep
editHotels in this part of Venice is - while still expensive - slightly cheaper compared to San Marco.
- 1 Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal, Santa Croce, 578. Large hotel, just across the Grand Canal from the railway station.
- 2 Hotel San Cassiano, Calle Larga Rosa, 2232 (5 minutes walk from the San Stae vaporetto stop), ☏ +39 041 524 1768. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:30. From €60 in January to €200+ in peak periods.