From hotels "Locanda Salieri" in 5 minutes from Campo Santa Margherita (square) the buildings encircling the area, some dating back to the 14th century, are home to a great mix of private residences as well as restaurants, bars, a weekday market with flowers and produce, and off-beat shops that provide energy throughout the entire day.

venice : St. Margherita square

The nearby university also helps add vitality. More of a spot for locals than for tourists, the Campo feels far from the mask shops and trinket vendors of the heavily touristed parts of venice. People come here for a variety of reasons. Some come to stock up on eggs, bread, newspapers and other daily needs at the various market stands.

Some come to shop at the numerous boutiques. Some come to socialize at the restaurants and cafes. The space is also used for festivals.With local residents, students at the nearby university, and vendors all sharing this space, one often gets to see a great cross-section of the community here. It attracts a large share of "locals" due to its location in the highly residential Dorsoduro district and it's distance from the major venice tourist attractions.
Like so many European squares, Campo Santa Margherita is named after the church that fronts it on one side, which was closed in 1810. Since then, the church has been used as a cinema and, most recently, an auditorium for the local university. The church’s prominent dragon motif corresponds to the story of Saint Margaret, who, after being swallowed whole by a dragon, made the sign of the cross while in its stomach. The dragon thereupon exploded, leaving her unharmed.
A small stone kiosk in the courtyard dates to the 18th century and lists the minimum sizes for fish sold here when the square was a fish market.

Also during this time, many canals were filled in to expand the size of this public space.  On the otherside of Canal Grande there is the Museum of Cà pesaro : this art gallery, housed in a building (Ca' Pesaro) that many regard to be a masterpiece of Baroque architecture, contains a huge collection of works by Italian and foreign artists of 19th and 20th century. Included are works by Italian artists Boccioni, Balla, De Pisis, Carrà, Fattori, Martini, Morandi and Rosso.Foreign artists are represented through works by Arp, Bonnard, Chagall, Klimt, Matisse, Klee, Ernst, Grosz and Moore. Among the most famous of the works on display is the Still Nature with Duck painting by Grosz.

Ca' Pesaro