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PIAZZA SAN MARCO St. Mark's Square is the main square in Venice and has long been a central meeting place for Venetians; it serves that purpose for tourists now also. The square has a dominating clock tower, the Basilica, political and religious buildings, restaurants, bars, and shops, and is known as one of the most beautiful squares in the world. Café Florian, dating back from the 1700s, is a popular place, as is Café Quadri, also on the square. It usually seems as though there are millions of pigeons in the square, and that many people too; it's difficult to really see the fine features and architecture there unless visiting at off-peak times. BASILICA SAN MARCO St. Mark's Basilica is the third building that has been constructed on that spot on St. Mark's Square. Two other churches were there previously, the first built to hold the stolen bones of St. Mark, for whom the church is named. The present basilica dates back to 1063, has a very ornate façade with the golden winged lion, which represents St. Mark and is the symbol of Venice, and is filled with amazing mosaics, domes, statues, and the High Altar that supposedly contains some of the remains of St. Mark. This church is a must-see for any tourist to Venice. DOGE'S PALACE A series of 120 Doges ruled Venice, and their incredible 3-storied palace dates back to before Renaissance times. The facade features beautiful arches, pink and white marble, and is located on St. Mark's Square. The inside of the palace is amazing, and it contains priceless artwork by Tintoretto, Titian, Bellini, Veronese and more. Tours will take visitors across the Bridge of Sighs, which connected the palace to the prison, and to the prison cells, one of which housed Cassanova. The Great Council Hall displays the largest oil painting in the world (Tintoretto's "Paradise"), and the Golden Staircase is just amazing. The Doge's Palace is one of the most opulent residences ever; it almost puts Versailles to shame. GONDOLAS Although many will tell you the gondolas of Venice are a tourist trap and can be quite expensive, where else can you have the experience of riding an authentic Venetian gondola? A gondola ride can be very romantic if taken around dusk, and if the price seems too high, the ride can be split with others; bargaining is also permissible for a better price. If you don't want to be shocked and taken advantage of, make sure to ask the price before taking the ride. The rides usually last from 45-50 minutes and will take you around the canals of Venice. BRIDGES The Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs are probably the two most famous bridges in Venice, but there are beautiful bridges everywhere. The Rialto, dating from the 1500s, was the first bridge to span the Grand Canal, and it has shops lining both sides. To get a good photograph of the bridge, it is best viewed from the side, and thus from the water. The Bridge of Sighs was the last bridge prisoners walked over before being thrown into the dungeon or executed, so the sighs came from realizing that the view through the bridge's cutwork was their last view of Venice. The Accademia Bridge, built in the 1800s, also crosses the Grand Canal. There are smaller bridges all over Venice that cross the canals; if you start walking around in Venice and start crossing over bridges, be aware that it is very easy to gt lost.

THE GOLDEN LION The prize was introduced in 1949 as the Golden Lion of St. Mark (the winged lion which had appeared on the flag of the Venetian Republic). Previously, the equivalent prize was the //Gran Premio Internazionale di Venezia// (Grand International Prize of Venice), awarded in 1947 and 1948. Before that, from 1934 until 1942, the highest awards were the Coppa Mussolini (Mussolini Cup) for Best Italian Film and Best Foreign Film. No Golden Lions were awarded between 1969 and 1979. According to the Biennale's official website, this hiatus was a result of the 1968 Lion being awarded to the radically experimental Die Artisten in der Zirkuskuppel: Ratlos: the website says that the awards "still had a statute dating back to the fascist era and could not side-step the general political climate. Sixty-eight produced a dramatic fracture with the past."
 * Il Leone d’Oro** (The Golden Lion) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes. In 1970, a second Golden Lion was introduced; this is an honorary award for people who have made an important contribution to cinema.