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San Marco

The sestiere of San Marco is the most central of Venice's six districts, and one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Italy. It's no wonder high-fashion designers opened boutiques and shops here that rival the best in Rome and Milan. Art galleries, jewelry shops, and glass showrooms thrive as well. Some of the city's grandest hotels, all with a view of the Bacino di San Marco, are along the quarter mile between Campo Santa Maria del Giglio and San Zaccaria. Windows and the famous Piazza are not the only attractions of this busy sestiere. To start with, it claims one of the most-photographed bridges in the world, the Ponte di Rialto, heavy with history and souvenir stalls. Tucked away in an alley off Campo Manin is the Scala del Bovolo, perhaps the most graceful spiral staircase ever built.