The small sestiere of Santa Croce is the ideal destination for those looking for quiet corners from which to admire the beauty of some of Venice's oldest churches such as San Zan Degolà and San Giacomo dall'Orio, or who prefer to explore the haunts of Venetians, including Campo dei Tolentini. If you love discovering unusual museums, don't miss the one at Palazzo Mocenigo, with its collection of textiles and old clothes, or the Museum of Natural History, housed in one of the most impressive palazzi overlooking the Grand Canal, the Fondaco dei Turchi. Finally, the Papadopoli Gardens are the perfect place for a break in the shade of large trees.

The name of the Santa Croce district comes from an ancient church demolished in 1810 to make way for the Papadopoli Gardens, now a public green space. Of the church and monastery, a marble column and fragments of the outer walls remain visible.

Off the tourist track

The church of San Simeon Piccolo, with its tall copper-green dome, is the first one you see once you leave the Santa Lucia railway station. Inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, it hides an ancient underground crypt, for centuries used as a cemetery, still partly unexplored.

The area of San Zàn Degolà (San Giovanni Decollato) has always been one of the most secluded and semi-unknown areas of Venice. In one corner of the campo stands the ancient church of San Zàn Degolà, one of the few examples of Venetian-Byzantine architecture in Venice that has been preserved almost unaltered to this day. Inside are frescoes that are the oldest in the entire city.

Not far away, Campo San Giacomo dall'Orio is a popular square for Venetians. The Church of San Giacomo dall'Orio, founded in the 9th century, is among the oldest in Venice. It has a beautiful inverted ship's keel ceiling and houses some masterpieces of Venetian Renaissance painting, including Jacopo Palma il Giovane, Lorenzo Lotto and Paolo Veronese.

Among the treasures of Santa Croce not to be missed are:

one of the most beautiful gardens in Venice, the historic garden of Palazzo Soranzo Cappello, a 16th century residence. This garden is described in the pages of the novel Il Fuoco by Gabriele d'Annunzio and in the short story The Aspern Papers by Henry James.
Palazzo Mocenigo, an elegant aristocratic residence that houses the Museo del Tessuto, del Costume e del Profumo (Textile, Costume and Perfume Museum) within its halls. The environment evokes the life of Venetian nobles between the 17th and 18th centuries. Visit the museum with a virtual tour on Google Arts & Culture.

The most beautiful palaces on the Grand Canal

In the stretch of the Grand Canal included in the sestiere is the Fondaco dei Turchi, easily recognisable by its façade decorated with various architectural elements such as paterae and panels. It is a typical example of a house-fondaco (in Venetian fontego, meaning warehouse), dating back to the early Middle Ages. Today it is the Giancarlo Ligabue Museum of Natural History in Venice.

Ca' Pesaro is a prestigious Baroque palace donated to the city by Duchess Felicita Bevilacqua La Masa, its last owner. Since 1902 it has been home to the International Gallery of Modern Art. Among the masterpieces on display are Auguste Rodin's famous The Thinker and Gustav Klimt's Judith II (Salome) (explore the collection on Google Arts & Culture). The Museum of Oriental Art is also on the third floor (discover the museum with a virtual tour).