Waterfront walks and hidden neighborhoods
Castello is the easternmost sestiere of Venice, and in many ways it's the most diverse.
The district includes luxury hotels on the waterfront promenade facing St. Mark's Basin, the old Arsenale shipyards, working-class neighborhoods, and the residential area of Sant'Elena with its Pierluigi Penzo soccer stadium (built in 1913).
A few things to see in Castello:
- The
Riva degli Schiavoni begins on the border of Castello, just east of
the Doge's Palace.
Walk along this pedestrian promenade, and you'll be rewarded with waterfront views of St. Mark's Basin.
You can continue walking all the way past the Giardini Pubblici, or Public Gardens, to the tip of the historic center.) - Castello has a number of interesting churches, including San Francesco della Vigna and its pretty little campo, Venice's former cathedral of San Pietro di Castello, and the enormous basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (in dialect, "San Zanipolo") next to the city's historic hospital of the same name.
- The historic Arsenale
shipyards are mostly closed to the public, but you can see the walls
and the
Naval headquarters (still in use).
Some of the Naval History Museum's exhibits are in old Arsenale buildings, and much of the shipyard is used by the Biennale art and architecture exhibitions. - Finally, take time to visit the many attractive squares in Castello, such as the Campo Santa Maria Formosa and the Campo San Zaccaria.
