The first day’s outing necessarily encompassed a visit to St. Mark’s church. The building itself was constructed principally of Grecian materials, and the effect of the innumerable columns, pillars, galleries, balustrades, and cupolas gave the church an almost Mohemmetan appearance. The dark, heavy interior was over-sated with such an encumbrance of colour, gilded decoration, and mosaic that its effect acted contrary to whatever architecture was evident. Applying to one of the procurators to see the famous treasure, therein they saw pillars, said to be from Solomon’s temple at Jerusalem, a fragment of the Virgin Mary’s veil and a lock of her hair, the knife used by the Saviour at His last supper, and a vast quantity of other relics, all said to be of saints and martyrs. There were jewels and vessels of precious metals, but perhaps the most remarkable single item was a painting of the Virgin, said to be by St. Luke. The picture was very plain, especially in contrast to the sumptuousness of its neighbours. Darcy recalled a witticism that had been written of this picture: “I have known many very good painters who would have made bad saints; and here is an instance of an excellent saint who was but an indifferent painter.”

They hurried over to the Ducal Palace, as it had started to rain. The palace was an immense edifice created entirely in marble, and, once inside, they saw that the walls were all-over ornamented with works by the Italian masters. In addition to the residence of the Doge, there were chambers for the senate and other departments of the Venetian government. The exterior was of a most unpleasing design, especially in the country that had produced the genius of Palladio: massive walls resting on a filigree of slender frets, arabesques, arcs, and circles. The corners of the building had been cut away to give room for spiralled columns, which would have been placed to better effect almost anywhere else. The over-all impression was that the building appeared eternally on the verge of collapse, so slender were the supports for the massive, high walls.

The Darcys’ immediate impression of the Venetians was that they were a lively and imaginative people, extremely fond of public amusements—especially of the comedic variety—and yet very attached to the real enjoyments of life: family, food, and pleasant society. Despite the surfeit of ornamentation that everywhere appeared, the Venetians themselves seemed to have little regard for vanity or ostentation in their persons. The lower orders appeared remarkably sober, obliging, and kind. They were a tall, attractive people, less given to corpulence than many others.