Never-before-seen Venice landmark opens to the public
CNN
St. Mark's Square in Venice is one of the most iconic public spaces in Europe. Now, the 16th-century Procuratie Vecchie, running along one side of the square, has opened to the public for the first time in history.
(CNN) — Venice is famously not short of tourists, but its newest sight aims to harness the city's overtourism problem by pointing visitors towards social responsibility.
The Procuratie Vecchie in St. Mark's Square -- one of the most famous buildings in one of the world's most famous city spaces -- has opened to the public for the first time in history.
Built in the early 1500s to hem in the Basilica of St. Mark, creating the square, after an earlier building was destroyed by fire, the building's 500-foot, Neoclassical façade is one of the most famous images of Venice. Its ground floor porticoes house historical cafes such as Quadri.