Procuratie Vecchie
Procuratie Vecchie
4.2
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The area
Neighborhood: San Marco
The most famous sestiere (district) in Venice has one of the world's most famous squares, St. Mark's (Piazza San Marco). Anchored on one end by the basilica, clustered around it are restaurants, museums, shops, orchestras playing in the square, pigeons, the grand pink Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale), the soaring campanile bell tower, an astrological clock tower, plus gorgeous cafes and restaurants like Florian and Quadri. Piazza San Marco is beloved by Venetians themselves. They book a table anytime, which offers a buffer from the fray. This grand outdoor drawing room attracts Venetians for a stroll too, especially late in the afternoon when the hoards of daytrippers thin out. It's simply a grand place to meet.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.2
62 reviews
Excellent
32
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19
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5
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5
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Asiyah Noemi K
Pula, Croatia5,372 contributions
Oct 2020
Coming to St. Mark's Square is a unique experience. Magnificent. In addition to the beautiful St. Mark's Basilica and the magnificent Doge's Palace, we immediately notice the beautiful buildings. The Procuratie are three connected buildings (Procuratie Vecchie, Procuratie Nuove and Procuratie ala Napoleonica) in the shape of a horseshoe, in St. Mark's Square. These are historic buildings with offices where the Procurators of St. Mark, esteemed officials of the city and the Venetian Republic worked. The history of the origin of these buildings is extremely interesting. Doge Sebastiano Ziani (1172 to 1178), after buying land from the nuns of Sr. Zaccaria, had a building erected in the square with loggias like galleries, which later served as the apartments of the procurator of San Marco. Later in the 16th century when the old buildings burned down in a fire the Procuratie Vecchie was built. The Procuratie Vecchie, is a Renaissance building, 152 m long on the north side of the square, which continues to the Torre dell'Orologio. Were designed by the architects Bartolomeo Bon and Guglielmo dei Grigi, and later by Jacopo Sansovino in the first half of the sixteenth century completed it, in 1538. The old procurators have two floors, on the ground floor there is a loggia with arcades (50 arches that are harmoniously connected with 100 windows in the upper two floors). They were completed in 1640 by Longena. During the Kingdom of Italy the building was adapted for the royal residence (Palazzo Reale). Today, the upper floors of the New Procuratorate are the Museo Correr, the Museo del Risorgimento, the Archaeological Museum, the Venice Public Administration and part of the Marciana Library. In the arcades of the Procuratie Vecchie and the Procuratie Nuove are the most famous, oldest and most expensive Venetian cafes: Gran Caffè Quadri, Caffè Florian (Casanova, Ghoete ... favorite place) which opened its doors on December 29, 1720, and Caffe Lavena (Richard Wagner favorite place). The procuratios took the form of a horseshoe (or inverted U) after Napoleon Bonaparte decided to demolish the Church of San Geminiano, thus gaining space for new procuratorates, called the Ala Napoleonica, the Napoleonic Wing. What to say, there is always a wonderful atmosphere here. People like to visit shops, coffee bars, museums ... in this area because there is a rich history here.
Written November 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
🩶⚜️ 𝓝𝓪𝓽𝔂® ⚜️🩶
Moscow, Russia179,993 contributions
Jul 2022 • Couples
Triconnected buildings along the perimeter of Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. Two buildings, the Procurati Vecchi (Old Procuration) and the Procurati Nuove (New Procuration), were built by the procurators of Saint Mark, the second-highest dignitaries in the government of the Republic of Venice, who were entrusted with managing the treasury of Saint Mark's Church. The Procurati Vecchi on the north side of the square was built during the War of the League of Cambrai in the early sixteenth century to replace an earlier structure damaged by fire. The building of the New Prosecutor's Office on the south side housed the official residences of the prosecutors. Built between the late sixteenth and mid-seventeenth centuries to replace a series of dilapidated medieval buildings, it was the culmination of an extensive urban renewal program that lasted over a hundred years and profoundly transformed the center of Venice. The Procurati Nuovissim (New Procuration, also known as the Napoleonic Wing) was built during the second period of the French occupation (1805-1815), when, after the fall of the Venetian Republic, the Procurati Nuove was converted into the residence of the Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy.
Written January 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Della G
Coquitlam, Canada786 contributions
Nov 2017 • Family
These are the set of three historic buildings that surround St. Marks Square. It is most impressive when viewed from the upper levels of St. Marks Basilica. One is use to walking under the covered archways going past eateries and various stores but the sense of amazement comes from the view above both at night and day. I
Written April 29, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dee h
2 contributions
Sep 2022
We went last week while at the Biennale - don't waste your money. We really wanted to see the building that Chipperfield restored and especially the roof terrace with views over the city. Shelled out for a ticket for the exhibition which we weren't really bothered about. At no point did the front desk staff say the terrace wasn't accessible, despite us asking how you got to it - we met locked doors. Cafe was expensive - ÂŁ20 for three cold coffees, and the exhibition and expensive gimmicky waste of time and money. Disappointing all round, and FYI, if you are challenged with stairs or in a wheelchair, you'd not get to the cafe or exhibition area from the normal public access lift as there is an extra flight of stairs to contend with.
Written September 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mondenomade
Tallinn, Estonia29 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
Interesting renovation of the Venetian headquarters of Generali by the Chipperfield studio. The interiors on the top floor have been very pleasantly furnished by the Milanese architects Migliore+Servetto.
Is it worth visiting? In my opinion no. Only the third floor can be visited, the rest being occupied by the Generali offices. During my visit the roof terrace was not accessible and there was only one installation, that of Tresoldi.
The interactive exhibition A World of Potential seemed rather naĂŻve to me.
With everything that Venice has to offer in terms of modern and contemporary art (just think of the Olivetti shop a few meters away, not to mention the Biennale and related exhibitions), it is certainly possible to make better use of your time.
Is it worth visiting? In my opinion no. Only the third floor can be visited, the rest being occupied by the Generali offices. During my visit the roof terrace was not accessible and there was only one installation, that of Tresoldi.
The interactive exhibition A World of Potential seemed rather naĂŻve to me.
With everything that Venice has to offer in terms of modern and contemporary art (just think of the Olivetti shop a few meters away, not to mention the Biennale and related exhibitions), it is certainly possible to make better use of your time.
Written April 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rumples
Tucson, AZ11,776 contributions
Dec 2016 • Couples
This is one of three huge connected buildings at Piazza San Marco and extends along the north side of the square. It is the oldest of the trio, having gone up in the 12th century to provide housing and offices for Roman officials. Initially, the structure had two stories but that was increased to three when rebuilt after a fire in the 16th century. Architectural features include columns along with rounded arches and windows. In later years, many rich Venetian families kept small apartments here in which to entertain.
Today, the upper stories provide office space above arcades featuring cafes and shops. I find the protected walkways by the ground-level businesses to offer a nice refuge on both sizzling sunny and rainy days in Venice. But during high-tourist season, expect crowds and slow movement here.
Caffe Quadri is likely the most famous occupant of the Procuratie Vecchie. Opened in 1775, it has catered to the famous, from Lord Byron to Venice Film Festival participants, such as Woody Allen. Visitors may want to consider taking a peak inside but moving on to less-expensive venues for food and drink away from the square.
Today, the upper stories provide office space above arcades featuring cafes and shops. I find the protected walkways by the ground-level businesses to offer a nice refuge on both sizzling sunny and rainy days in Venice. But during high-tourist season, expect crowds and slow movement here.
Caffe Quadri is likely the most famous occupant of the Procuratie Vecchie. Opened in 1775, it has catered to the famous, from Lord Byron to Venice Film Festival participants, such as Woody Allen. Visitors may want to consider taking a peak inside but moving on to less-expensive venues for food and drink away from the square.
Written February 4, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SoCalOregonian
Murrieta, CA10,353 contributions
Apr 2019
This set of buildings lining the North side of Piazza San Marco from the Torre dell’Orologio to the Napoleonic wing were built in the 12th century as 2 stories. They are the oldest of the Procuratie. They were to house the offices and apartments of the procurators. Today after being rebuilt as 3-story they house shops and restaurants along the arcade.
Written August 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
STEVE A
southend40 contributions
Aug 2017 • Couples
We arrived in Venice at 10:30pm and our water taxi dropped us off just off St Marks square so it was our first real view of Venice. Can get a bit crowded and the pigeons can be a bit of a nuisance but a must see place. Restaurants are incredibly expensive. Coffees at the counter about 2 euros each, sit at a table and the same coffee costs 7 euros.
Worth a stroll in the evening to hear the live music from various bands around the square
Worth a stroll in the evening to hear the live music from various bands around the square
Written August 28, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Diana S
1 contribution
Sep 2022
There is much noise regarding the new public access to the restored wing of St Mark's square and I was excited to explore and see the new views from the roof terrace. It cost the same as a full day full of inspiring international art at the Biennale to enter the building but the roof terrace was closed and we had to pay double for coffees in order to sit where we could see some of the square below through small floor level windows. Little information was provided on the history of the building and nothing about the restoration. A gimmicky and superficial interactive exhibition related to charity was no compensation. On complaining about the lack of access even to the roof terrace that we'd asked about on arrival we were given the non-response that we had been told that it was on the fourth floor!
I can appreciate that the cost to the insurance company owner to restore the building was significant but feel that it is immoral to ask the public to pay for a private company’s costs in this duplicitous way.
I can appreciate that the cost to the insurance company owner to restore the building was significant but feel that it is immoral to ask the public to pay for a private company’s costs in this duplicitous way.
Written September 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark42139
New York City, NY1,646 contributions
Jun 2019 • Family
This stunning structure surrounding the famous Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) is really quite impressive
Written July 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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