Frari Basilica

Venetians simply call it "the Frari", the friars. Its official name is Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, and it is the great Franciscan church of Venice. The friars arrived in the city in the 13th century, and the church you see was built over the 14th and 15th centuries, in brick, without the marble of St Mark's, as befitted a mendicant order. Its 14th-century bell tower is the second tallest in the city.

1The painting that changed Titian

Inside, above the high altar, hangs Titian's "Assumption", completed in 1518. It is an enormous canvas of blazing reds that at first unsettled the friars and ended up making its author the most sought-after painter in Venice. Titian died in 1576, during a plague epidemic, and was buried here.

2A pyramid for Canova

In the nave you will see a strange pyramid-shaped monument with a half-open door. Canova had designed it for Titian; after the sculptor's death, his pupils adapted it for him in 1827. Claudio Monteverdi, who was choirmaster at St Mark's, is also buried in the Frari.

Visiting the interior requires a ticket. From the campo, however, you can take in the whole building and its towering bell tower.

A few steps away is the Scuola Grande di San Rocco and, in the surrounding lanes, an old-fashioned pastry shop or two.

3What to look for

• The pinnacles of the facade, with their statues.
• The brick bell tower, from the 14th century.
• The bridge over the Rio dei Frari, in front of the facade.