Scenic route
Grand Canal
Venice, Italy
Venice's main waterway, lined with palaces, best seen from a public water bus.
Church, mosque or temple · Italy · Veneto
Santa Maria della Salute
A grand baroque church with a white dome at the mouth of the Grand Canal.
about 30 min
For storytellers
Why Santa Maria della Salute matters
The Salute was built as a thank-you after a deadly plague, and its huge white dome is one of the signature Venice silhouettes. Inside it's calm and spacious, and on the festival of the Salute in November a floating bridge appears across the canal for pilgrims.
Talking points
- It was built after a plague as a thanks-offering.
- Its dome marks the entrance to the Grand Canal.
- A pilgrimage festival takes place each November.
- The steps in front are a nice place to sit.
Free to read aloud or adapt in your video. Check facts that matter to you against an official source before you publish.
More in Venice
Church, mosque or temple
St Mark's Basilica
Venice, Italy
Venice's glittering Byzantine-style cathedral covered in golden mosaics.
Palace
Doge's Palace
Venice, Italy
The Gothic palace of the Venetian rulers, with grand halls and a prison across a bridge.
Bridge
Bridge of Sighs
Venice, Italy
A small covered bridge linking the Doge's Palace to the old prison.
Also nearby
Within about 40 km, closest first.