Where else but in Venice will you find a city's main public hospital with a Lombardo marble facade? The building started out as a scuola in 1260 and became one of the city's six scuole grandi (a term applied to Venice's most wealthy confraternities, which took on the responsibility of caring for some of the city's poorest residents). Fire destroyed a substantial part of it in 1485, and though much of the remainder is closed to the public, it's worth a look behind the striking facade at the ballroomlike main entry. Also in the scuola is the Medical Museum -- not for the young or squeamish, but adults, especially those in the medical professions, are likely to find the displays entertaining and enlightening. Itinerant anatomical experimenting was going on in Venice as early as 1368, some 100 years before Venice founded a reputable anatomical theater and more than 200 years before the famous Università di Padua theater opened. The elaborately illustrated books on display perfectly depict not only complex anatomy, but also some of the clandestine, backwoods operating theaters. There's a collection of tools of the trade that, lacking specific labeling, often seem less therapeutic than torturous. To find the museum, walk through the main hospital entrance, past the front desk, through the lobby, and go up the stairway on the right-hand side. (You can also ask the doorman for directions.)