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{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; width: 280px; margin-left: 15px; background-color: #f8f9fa;"
|+ style="font-size: 120%; font-weight: bold; padding: 5px;" | St. Mark's Square Excavations
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| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | Location: Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy
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! style="text-align: left;" | Period
| Medieval to Renaissance
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! style="text-align: left;" | Excavated
| 1885–1889, 2023–2024
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! style="text-align: left;" | Archaeologists
| Federico Berchet, Dr. Sara Bini
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! style="text-align: left;" | Key Finds
| Walls of San Geminiano, medieval burials, market plinths
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St. Mark's Square archaeological digs refer to a series of excavations conducted in Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy, primarily between 2023 and 2024. Taking advantage of a municipal project to restore the square's traditional paving stones (masegni), archaeologists uncovered nearly a thousand years of history compressed into just 50 to 60 centimeters of stratigraphy. Significant discoveries include the remains of the lost medieval church of San Geminiano, historic market structures, and medieval burials.
== Background and Excavation ==
Due to the delicate nature of the Venetian lagoon—characterized by subsidence, changing sea levels, and constant urban rebuilding—archaeology in Venice is highly unique. The excavations were directed by Dr. Sara Bini of the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the Municipality of Venice and the Lagoon, and carried out by the archaeological firm Semper s.r.l.
The project was initiated in conjunction with the municipality of Venice's restoration of the square's paving stones. Working in difficult conditions involving mud and seawater just below the surface, the team utilized advanced excavation methodologies to expand upon late 19th-century surveys conducted by Federico Berchet and Giacomo Boni between 1885 and 1889.
== Key Discoveries ==
=== The Lost Church of San Geminiano ===
Underneath the Procuratie Vecchie, archaeologists discovered a series of walls and floor levels identified as belonging to the ancient medieval church of San Geminiano. Historically, this church predated the current monumental shape of the square. It was eventually demolished by the doges to expand the square in front of St Mark's Basilica, and a later iteration of the church was destroyed by Napoleon.
=== Medieval Burials ===
Surrounding and inside the structural remains of San Geminiano, archaeologists excavated several medieval tombs. Notably, one brick-lined burial contained the remains of at least four individuals. Some of these tombs were constructed using Roman spoliated material, likely brought from the nearby ancient city of Altino. The human remains offer crucial anthropological data regarding the diet, diseases, gender, and social status of early Venetians.
=== Market Structures and Artifacts ===
Near Caffè Quadri, investigations revealed brick plinths that once supported Renaissance-era market stalls. These are the same vibrant market stalls visible in the 18th-century paintings of Venetian vedutisti such as Canaletto. Associated artifacts found in this layer include a historical balance weight and a heavily worn marketplace coin, representing the first coin to emerge from excavations in the square in recent years.
== See also ==
== References ==
* "Archaeological digs in St. Mark’s square". History Walks in Venice. February 23, 2024.
* Cimarosti, Angelo. "Venice Archaeology, Excavations in St. Mark's Square: Disappeared Structures and Market Coins". ArchaeoReporter. March 23, 2024.