Also known as Campo Francesco Morosini, after the Doge who lived here in the 17th Century, Campo Santo Stefano is one of the largest squares in Venice.

Until the early 1800s, bull hunts took place here given its spaciousness. However, the hunts were banned after a grandstand collapsed and several spectators died. It was also a popular place for dancing and carnival festivities. A statue of Nicholas Tommaseo (1802-1874), a Dalmatian intellectual who played a leading role during the uprising of 1848 against the Austrians, stands in the middle of the square. To the South of the square stands Palazzo Pisani, home to the Conservatory of Music since the late 1800s. Palazzo Loredan faces this, now the headquarters of the Veneto Institute of Sciences, Letters and Arts.

The church of Santo Stefano is also in the square. This church has an unusual history: it was deconsecrated no fewer than six times because of the murders committed within its walls. Built in the 14th Century, the church has a beautiful portal sculpted by Bartolomeo Bon, a heavily leaning bell-tower and a canal crossing the apse. The interior has a beautiful wood-beamed ceiling, high Verona marble columns and some valuable paintings by Tintoretto.

1300 - 1400 - S. MARCO - rev. 0.1.6