Piazza San Marco, internationally known as St Mark’s Square gained its own nickname “La Piazza” – THE Square, and I think it says a lot about Venice’s importance. There is a legend that Napoleon called it “the drawing room of Europe”. In our day, I would say the “photographing room of Europe”.
To capture St. Mark’s Basilica and the St Mark’s Campanile (the bell tower of the basilica) with the morning sky, we had to wake up at 3:30 am. Half an hour later, we reached St Mark’s Square and there were still people sitting on the chairs of cafés and finishing their day after their celebrations.
We sat there too, observing the light changing and the people changing. Around 5am, there were tourists who arrived to see the empty La Piazza. Just before the sunrise, the first photographers started to set their tripods and after that moment, when the sun raised from behind St Mark’s Basilica, the life of the busy square started again.
After post processing this photo, I noticed that St Mark’s Campanile appears as if it is leaning to one side. It reminded me of a story of the bell tower in July 1902. In the first days of this summer month, some noticed cracks on its surface. A few days later, the Campanile collapsed and buried a large part of the square under bricks. Thankfully nobody died, apart from the tower caretaker’s cat.
Additional Sunrise Perspective of St Mark’s Basilica
On another early morning in Venice, I decided to return to nearly the same spot in Piazza San Marco in Italy. But this time with a different lens and a more focused composition. Instead of showing the entire square, I zoomed to 44mm and let the Campanile (bell tower) slip partially into the frame. It’s not the star of the photo, but without it, the scene would feel incomplete. This way, the viewer still feels grounded in Venice, while their attention remains on the intricate façade of St Mark’s Basilica.
This shot was taken at around 6:20 a.m. Even at that hour, I counted at least ten people wandering through the square. Proof that Venice’s magic draws early risers from all over the world. I removed them in post-processing to keep the focus on the moment. The first rays of the sun bursting over the domes, scattering golden light across the mosaics.
I chose f/22 deliberately to create the starburst effect as the sunlight slipped through the architecture. No filters were needed. Just the right timing, a clear summer sky dotted with a few scattered clouds.
If you’re planning your own sunrise shoot here, I recommend arriving at least half an hour before sunrise to explore your composition during blue hour. Use familiar elements like the Campanile creatively, and don’t be afraid to crop or frame them in unexpected ways. Often, it’s these small choices that turn a good image into one that tells a richer story. Also you can check out my blog article dedicated just to St Mark’s Basilica at sunrise.
This article is developing, it was originally published on 29th of August 2018.
