SAN ZANIPOLO, Interior

The first thing that strikes you as you enter the basilica is the interior's vertical thrust, which is particularly evident in the altar area that's flooded by ultra-pure light from a double row of seven double-arch Gothic windows. Everything in this church is thin and tends to elevation, starting with the incredibly high columns that support the Gothic vaults; between a column and the other, however, the wooden tie rods ensure the large church's stability, even on the yielding lagoon lands of Venice.

Compared to the contemporary and "rival" basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari inspired by Franciscan spirituality and simplicity, here you're struck by majesty and pomp: just think, there are as many as 150 tombs in the floor here and 52 funerary monuments on the walls!

Keep in mind that the large number of tombs has a significant purpose, as the Dominicans were financed by giving rich families the opportunity to be buried in the prestigious basilica in exchange for substantial donations. So it was that over the centuries the church established itself as one of the most appreciated burial sites of the powerful noble families....