Around the corner lies the main piazza, one of the world's most elegant public spaces. At one end is the basilica, while the other three sides are framed by a uniform, collonaded row of buildings. The buildings originally housed the offices of the Procurate, nine people who ranked just below the Doge and responsible for much of the day to day management of government. The ground level was always leased to cafes and shops to earn money for the republic, a tradition that continues to this day. Around 1800, when Napoleon added Venice to his empire, he decided to convert the place to a palace. The palace is now home to the Correr Museum, which few people visit but is quite interesting if you have the time. It also connects to the library, which is stunning. The museum itself is a mix of paintings and artefacts from Venice's golden age. The highlight is a pair of shoes worn by society women in the sixteenth century. They had eighteen inch platform heels on them, and the ladies would walk around with servants on either side stabilizing them.



The huge brick tower in the piazza is the campanile. It was built in the tenth century as a combination belltower and lighthouse, but was also used to shame sinners, who were hoisted in a cage and dangled above the piazza for days or months depending on the severity of the sin. In 1902, the tower collapsed, which must have shocked the tourists. Amazingly, the tower collapsed in such an orderly manner that it left the surrounding buildings unscathed. The current tower, employing much of the original material, was rebuilt as an exact model of its predecessor.