Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Venice

A beautiful marble church with an unusual staircase up to the main altar. It is in the process of being renovated but still a lovely place to visit. Very peaceful and quiet.

It is exquisite. The chiesa, built in the late 1400s was restored by the Save Venice foundation in the 90s. It is in a lovely section of Venice, less traveled.

One of my favorite churches in Venice. Very well kept.

Wonderful from the outside and from the inside - it has an entry fee if one wants to look closely at it.

I always tell people to visit this church, which is my favourite in the whole of Venice. It's not quite a hidden gem, but easy to miss if you're only visiting the usual tourist sites - Piazza San Marco, Guggenheim, Accademia etc. It is perfection in marble and can be admired as much from the outside as inside, and the steps up to the chancel are glorious. The name Santa Maria dei Miracoli is derived from a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary which still stands at the main altar. The true miracle was the $4m restoration undertaken in the 1990s to save the church from ruin, and the ongoing cleaning work which keeps the polychrome marble gleaming for visitors today. The church is part of the Chorus scheme, and therefore there is a modest admission charge, but this also means it is open continuously from 10am to 5pm (Monday to Saturday). It is popular with Italian wedding parties, who often stop in the charming little campo surrounding the church to have their photos taken. It is certainly one of the most romantic places in the world, and I imagine a lot of people dream of getting married here.