Santa Maria del Rosario in Venice

You're standing on the Zattere, the long waterfront along the wide Giudecca Canal, in front of the Chiesa dei Gesuati. Its official name is Santa Maria del Rosario, but Venetians have called it the Gesuati for centuries. Start with the façade. Giant Corinthian pilasters hold up a heavy triangular pediment. Beside the main door, four large statues stand in niches. They're the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance, each carved by a different sculptor. Now turn around and look across the water. Those are Palladio's churches over there. The architect, Giorgio Massari, borrowed from them on purpose. His façade is based on the centre of San Giorgio Maggiore, and the idea for the interior came from the Redentore. And under your feet? To carry the weight of that front, 270 piles had to be driven into the ground.