Dorsoduro
Dorsoduro is one of the districts of Venice. The name derives from the fact that the area was characterized by stable terrain, less swampy than on other islands. It is bordered to the north by the districts of Santa Croce and San Polo and to the south by the Giudecca canal and the island of the same name. It is connected to the sestiere di San Marco through the Accademia bridge.
In Dorsoduro there is one of the oldest churches in Venice, the church of San Nicolò dei Mendicoli, whose first foundation dates back to the 7th century. And at the eastern end of the district was the Dogana da Mar, the old customs house of Venice in what is known as the Punta della Dogana, at the entrance to the Grand Canal, and where the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is today.
Dorsoduro is the district of Venice where some of the city's most important museums are concentrated: the Gallerie dell'Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim Museum of contemporary art. Also noteworthy are the museums of Ca' Rezzonico, the Pinacoteca Manfrediniana in the Patriarchal Seminary and the Palazzo Loredan Cini, home of the Cini Gallery. Contemporary art exhibitions are often organized at the Punta della Dogana of the François Pinault Foundation and at the Emilio Vedova Foundation in the Magazzini del Sale.
Among the Gothic buildings, Ca' Foscari deserves special mention, which It houses the university of the same name. In this district there are also the squero di San Trovaso and the Campo Santa Margherita, a meeting place for Venetian students.