Photos: Benreis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Franz van Duns, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author and send me a message. This image is not in the public domain. Please respect the copyright protection. It may only be used according to the rules mentioned here. This specifically excludes use in social media, if applicable terms of the licenses listed here not appropriate. Please do not upload an updated image here without consultation with the Author. The author would like to make corrections only at his own source. This ensures that the changes are preserved.Please if you think that any changes should be required, please inform the author.Otherwise you can upload a new image with a new name. Please use one of the templates derivative or extract., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo credits
Photos: Benreis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Franz van Duns, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author and send me a message. This image is not in the public domain. Please respect the copyright protection. It may only be used according to the rules mentioned here. This specifically excludes use in social media, if applicable terms of the licenses listed here not appropriate. Please do not upload an updated image here without consultation with the Author. The author would like to make corrections only at his own source. This ensures that the changes are preserved.Please if you think that any changes should be required, please inform the author.Otherwise you can upload a new image with a new name. Please use one of the templates derivative or extract., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
St Mark's Basilica, gold mosaics up close
Your local guide
Alessandro Marino
View profile
Highlights
- Five domes, one Byzantine building
- Gold mosaics, lit through the day
- Horses copied above the doorway
- A bell tower rebuilt after collapse
- Venice's most recognisable church
About this tour
This session covers St Mark's Basilica, from its domed exterior to the gold mosaics inside and the small square beside it. You see the horses copied above the main doorway, then move to the mosaics covering the ceiling, filmed from the areas open to visitors, before finishing beside the rebuilt bell tower. It is a close, unhurried look at Venice's most recognisable building.
We start with a sound check outside, since the square can be busy with pigeons and crowds. I move inside for the second stop, keeping the camera steady in the dimmer light, and take your questions on the mosaics as we go. A short reading note on the basilica's history follows by message afterwards.
It suits anyone with an interest in Byzantine art or Venice's early history. It also works well as a first session before exploring the wider square yourself.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 6 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Venice before heading out.
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Basilica exterior facade 17 min
The camera takes in the five domes and the horses copied above the main doorway, and I explain how the building's Byzantine style set it apart from the rest of Venice from the very start.
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Basilica interior, gold mosaics 17 min
Filming from the areas open to visitors, the camera catches the gold mosaics covering the ceiling, and I describe how the light shifts their colour through the day.
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Piazzetta dei Leoncini 17 min
We step outside to the small square beside the basilica, and I point out the two marble lions and the bell tower rebuilt after it collapsed in 1902.
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Your questions 11 min
Time to ask anything about Venice: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 5 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Cicchetti and San Marco, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Rome time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 9 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Venice, showing you Basilica exterior facade and Basilica interior, gold mosaics live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk Venice live with my phone.
Times shown in Rome time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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How reviews work
Only travellers who booked and paid through Locals Guide and whose tour took place can leave a review, within 60 days of the tour. Every review is marked "Verified booking". We check reviews before they appear and publish positive and negative ones alike; we remove only reviews that break our rules (insults, personal data, unrelated content). Guides cannot pay for, edit or hide reviews, and ratings are the plain average of all published reviews.
Next: Fri 30 Oct · 9 seats left From 28,00 €
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