About This Location
Campo San Salvador is a busy little square in the San Marco district, set right on the pedestrian flow between Rialto and the streets leading toward St Mark’s. Shops and quick shortcuts surround it, so it often feels like a natural meeting point rather than a quiet “museum” stop. One side of the campo is marked by Chiesa di San Salvador. Look closely at the facade, near the base of the left side - a cannonball is visibly embedded in the stone. It is kept as a reminder of the Austrian bombardment during the 1849 siege of Venice, when the city was fighting through the Risorgimento years. Now look up for one of the campo’s most unusual details: the Marforio Dragon Lamp. This wrought-iron winged dragon holds a lantern and is linked to the old Marforio business that once traded here, remembered for its distinctive sign and long local presence. It is a small street-level landmark that many people walk past without realizing it is part of Venice’s modern commercial history. To continue, turn right.