Scala Contarini del Bovolo

A snail-shell staircase to a rooftop view

Hours: Summer (23 Feb–25 Oct 2026) daily 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30); winter 9:30–17:30 (last entry 17:00). Closed 25–26 Dec; some holidays vary
Tickets: €9; ages 12–26 and over-65s €7; under-12s free
Address: One or two minutes down a signed alley from Campo Manin, hidden in a small courtyard

Turn into a small courtyard at the end of an alley and there it is: a round tower wrapped in a spiral of white arches. Bovolo is Venetian for snail. Eighty steps take you to a round belvedere at the top, with the domes and bell tower of St Mark's poking over the red roofs. It's lower than the campanile, which puts the rooftops closer, and the crowds are far smaller.