Piazza San Marco, known in English as St. Mark's Square, is the principal, and perhaps most famous, square of Venice.
The Piazza originated in the 9th century and was enlarged to its present size and shape in 1177. The inadvertent forced perspective is a result of a center canal having been filled in, leaving the trapezoidal space that we see today. A remark erroneously attributed to Napoleon refers to St. Mark’s as "The drawing room of Europe" for its comfortable scale and acoustics.
The square is home to many tourist shops, cafes, and pigeons. At night, visitors can enjoy live music outside the cafes.