Situated near the University of Venice, Campo Santa Margherita is a prominent city square in the Dorsoduro sestiere. It is named after a church that once stood on its northern side and has long been home to fisherman’s stalls and a small vegetable market. Its proximity to the university and the St. Lucia train station makes it a popular gathering place, with a number of significant buildings lining the square.
Campo Santa Margherita is home to the Ospizio Scrovegni, an ancient hospice that was built in accordance with the will of 15th-century noblewoman Maddalena degli Scrovegni. It’s also here that the Scuola dei Varoteri is found, a two-story brick building where the confraternity of the tanners and furriers was founded in 1311.
The Scuola Grande dei Carmini is another confraternity building on the square, founded in 1594 under Doge Pasquale Cicogna. It features a Baroque facade designed by Francesco Caustello and Baldassare Longhena, together with a richly decorated landing adorned with a trompe l'oeil tile floor and gilded stucco ceiling. The ceiling of the Sala Capitolare displays paintings by Tiepolo some paintings by Giustino Menescardi are stored in an archive room.
Adjacent to the scuola stands the large church of Santa Maria dei Carmini, which dates back to the 14th century. It features a facade, made of marble and brick, with lunettes that were sculpted by Giovanni Buora. There are also some ornate decorations along the roofline of the founders of the Carmelite order. Giuseppe Sardi was the designer of the church's bell tower which is also has a Madonna del Carmine statue at its top.