. Scala Contarini del Bovolo .

It may seem slightly odd for a staircase to be a tourist attraction, but in Venice all things are possible. This external spiral staircase is an attractive architectural curiosity which merits a visit. 

In 2007 the staircase is closed to the public while restoration works take place. However, when we last checked the building could still be admired from outside. 

'Scala Contarini' simply means staircase of the Contarini family, while 'bovolo' is a Venetian word for snail and describes the spiral form. With Venetian carelessness over names, it's also called the Scala del Bovolo, Palazzo Contarini. 

The staircase and the loggia which adjoins it on the right were designed around 1499 by Giovanni Candi, who employed a mixture of Renaissance, Gothic and Byzantine styles to create a novel and pretty extension to the Gothic palace behind. External staircases rising from courtyards were a feature of the medieval city, and you can still see other examples around Venice. But none were this flamboyant. Rising from a small square, it comes as a surprise after the narrow approaches - try leading a friend here unaware and appreciate their reaction. 

The staircase is in the San Marco district and its address is San Marco 4299, which of course is no help in finding the location. Its courtyard is called Corte dei Risi or Corte del Bovolo. The best way to get there is to find Campo Manin, south-west of the Rialto, where you'll find a small sign to the staircase.

.The Campanile - the bell-tower of St. Mark's.

Venice's most commanding landmark, the Campanile di San Marco, stands just opposite St. Mark's Basilica. The bell-tower of the basilica is the tallest building in Venice, at 99 metres, and happily it's open to the public who can enjoy the superb views over the city. 

The tower crumbled to the ground in 1902: a not uncommon fate for tall Venetian buildings, which are mostly very old and built on foundations of wood and mud. No-one was killed apart from a cat, and a few years later a replica was completed with that typical Italian philosophy: com'era, dov'era: as it was, where it was. The original version dated back to the ninth century; the present appearance copies a later sixteenth-century design. 

Try to pick a clear day for your visit: conditions around Venice are frequently hazy but on a good day you can see as far as the Dolomites: in winter and spring when there's snow on the mountains, the view is particularly impressive. Venice below looks ridiculously small, clustered higgledy-piggedy on its islets. You should be able to pick out the road and rail bridges over the lagoon, the Lido and the sea beyond, the entrance to the Grand Canal, the Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo towering over its surroundings, and many other landmarks. After navigating through Venice's narrow lanes and tall buildings, you'll find this gives you a welcome bird's eye view of the town's geography. 

Opening hours: October-March 9:45am-4pm; April-June 9:30am-5pm; July-September 9:45am-8pm. These times may be subject to variation, but the latest details will be displayed outside the entrance.

.Torre dell'Orologio .

Torre dell'Orologio  

In 2006 a remarkable Venetian landmark emerged from eight years under scaffolding. Built at the end of the fifteenth century by architect Mauro Codussi, the Torre dell'Orologio (Clock Tower) in St. Mark's Square actually took less time to construct than it did to restore five hundred years later. The interior of the tower is now open to the public, but only through small guided tours, so it's worth booking ahead. It is located on the north side of St. Mark's Square. 

About the Clock Tower 

The tower is an elaborate affair, with complicated systems for displaying the time, the sun, the moon and the signs of the zodiac. Before the eighteenth century, our tour guide tells us, the face of the clock also showed the planets revolving around the Earth. An arch through the base of the tower leads to the Mercerie, Venice's historic commercial streets, so this archway was designed as an impressive entrance to visitors arriving from the lagoon.