Campo Santa Margherita, Venice

Campo Santa Margherita opens out as a long Venetian square in Dorsoduro, known today as a meeting place for students and younger visitors. Its name recalls the former church of Santa Margherita, whose building stands at the square’s northeastern edge. The present layout took shape after waterways were filled during works ordered in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

Among the buildings around the square, the Scuola dei Varoteri stands independently within the open space, while the Ospizio Scrovegni is built into its southern edge. The nearby Scuola Grande dei Carmini is the area’s major artistic landmark, designed by Longhena and containing paintings by Tiepolo. The square also fostered lively socialist activity: during 1913–14, guests at the Osteria da Capon playfully declared a Santa Margherita Republic, assigning fishermen the title of doge and port workers that of avogadori.