Campo della Maddalena

Campo della Maddalena is a small, easily overlooked square in Cannaregio, just off the busy route between the train station and the Rialto Bridge. Its church, one of only two circular churches in all of Venice, and a Gothic-portalled palace facing it across the square, make it a genuinely rewarding stop for visitors willing to step away from the main route for a few minutes.

This is a small residential square with houses on every side and no commerce of any kind. Voices carry directly into windows, and a group standing in it fills a good part of it.

When the oratory is open it is open for a reason -- usually a service. Stepping in to look around during one is not the same as visiting, and the building has no visitor arrangement, no custodian and no ticket.

The wellhead at the centre is early 16th-century and is not a bench. It is one of the few in Venice still standing in an intact campo setting rather than a museum courtyard.

Coming here at all is a small good: it takes a few minutes of pressure off the Strada Nova, which is among the most saturated walking routes in the city, and puts it somewhere that can absorb it.

Campo della Maddalena is in Cannaregio, just off the well-worn route between the train station and the Rialto Bridge, making it an easy short detour. The church functions as an oratory rather than a regularly open parish church, so opening hours are limited -- check current times before planning a visit specifically around its interior.