The “Procuratie” and the Napoleonic wing - San Marco - Venice - Buildings and Monuments

Piazza San Marco is bordered on the right and on the left sides by the Procuratie, which are connected by the Napoleonic Wing. There are now several shops under the porticoes, the famous Café Florian and Café Quadri and there are also some luxurious Venetian jewelers such as Nardi and Missaglia. Both the Procuratie, the Old and the New one have galleries over the 50 arches of the ground floor portico. The third side of the square, the one that face the Basilica, is taken up by the Napoleonic Wing. This is a building in Neo-classical style, built on the wishes of Napoleon in 1807. In order to build a ballroom, Napoleon ordered for the ancient Church of San Geminiano to be knocked down. The Napoleonic Wing now houses
the Correr Museum collection.
The Torre dell’Orologio (the Clock Tower) is also located on the side of the old Procuratie. There is also the archway that takes you to the Mercerie. The tower is topped by a terrace where there is a large bell and two bronze statues known as the “Mori”. The clock is underneath the statues. The clock face is gold and blue enamel and shows the time, the lunar phases and the zodiac signs.