Fondaco del Megio

Built in the thirteenth century by the Republic of Venice, the Fondaco was initially granary; then passed to the mile, which explains the name ("megio" in Venetian), as city collection center until the fall of the Republic (1797), when it fell into disuse. Currently, it houses an elementary school. The facade is the most unadorned of the Canal Grande, consists of three small rectangular portals and thirteen small square openings on three levels. The decorative elements are essentially two: on the top, a row of battlements and in a central position, a bas-relief with the St. Mark's Lion.