Seeing Venice on foot

Yesterday morning we started with mass at the Tomb of St Pius X in Rome.  While waiting for the train, we stopped in the churches near Rome's main train station and saw the tomb of St John Bosco as well as the Baths of Diocletian (they had been converted into a church). Then Venice!

Basilica of St Mark, housing the body of St. Mark.   

Now how did Venice get his body?  Simple.

They stole his body from Alexandria and smuggled it back in baskets.

Where as everything in Rome is larger than I imagined it, everything in Venice is smaller, which is good since my group is touring on foot. We started with Mass at St. Mark's, which was really cool since we got to see the sacristy and then proceeded to do the two main islands of Venice by foot. In the morning we did the southern loop, which included a stop at Venice's seminary and their church, as well as the Grand Canal and the Rialto bridge.

Santa Maria della Salute, the seminary chapel.

Google and be very jealous, because I am.

In the afternoon and early evening, we did the northern loop, which included the Arsenal (the great shipyard where Venice built its great fleet) and what seemed like the tombs of most of the tombs of Doges (dukes of Venice), as well as the foot of Catherine of Siena.

Two of the tombs. Comment if you want to see the foot

Tomorrow, we get up early to go to mass at St. Mark's again, then back to Rome to begin our formal coursework.

Gondolas.  It isn't a post about Venice without them