Scala Contarini del Bovolo

Just a few steps from Hotel Saturnia, at the end of a small street that can be reached from Campo Manin, the Scala Contarini del Bovolo is hidden in a small courtyard: one of the best examples of the transition of Venetian architecture from Gothic to Renaissance. At the end of the 1400s, Pietro Contarini had a new section added to his late-Gothic San Paternian palazzo in order to embellish the interior facade overlooking a small courtyard.

The name of the stairs comes from the fact that it is spiral - in Venetian dialect bovolo. A series of overlapping arches link the different levels as the staircase winds upwards to form a cylindrical tower. At the end of the stairs you are rewarded with a belvedere that offers a breathtaking view: you can admire the city's roofs and bell towers along with St. Mark's domes.