Piazza San Marco
(C2).
Our first walk in Venice is short. It centers on Piazza San Marco and the buildings around it. This is the center of the city, an imposing piazza in front of San Marco, 175 meters long and 58-82 meters broad, laid with large marble tiles, usually crowded with tourists.
Classical music bands play for cafégoers. From the piazza we enter San Marco, the Campanile, Torre dell’Orologio and a few museums. In the arcades around the piazza there are fashion and souvenir shops, also the famous cafés of the city, Florian and Quadri. The restaurants Al Conte Pescaor, La Colomba, Do Forni, Harry’s Bar and Rivetta are near the piazza.
Sometimes the sea floods the piazza at high tide. Then walking bridges are set up across the piazza to enable people to walk around without wetting their feet. Then we also get some peace from the thousands of fat doves which are the main photo attraction for tourists in Venice.
We start by inspecting San Marco.
San Marco
Piazza San Marco. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 9:45-17, Sunday 14-17. (C2).
A fairy tale palace from Thousand and One Night, an eastern church in western Christendom, built 1063-1094 in Byzantine style, in the form of a Greek cross with equal arms, with five immense domes. It is the finest Venetian witness to the Medieval connections of the city to the Greek and Byzantine world, the countries in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
During the centuries it was loaded with decorations inside out. But it did not become the cathedral of Venice until 1807. Until then it was the private chapel of the Doge, often used for the reception of foreign ambassadors and for other secular ceremonies. It was also used for introducing new Doges to the citizens and as the focus of processions in the Piazza San Marco.
Mosaics characterize the church on the outside and inside, on walls, in ceilings and in floors. They date from several periods, most of them from the Middle Ages, mainly by unknown artists. The present appearance is from the latter half of the 15th C and the first half of the 16th C. Famous are the originals of the bronze horses that once were over the central doorway.
We walk into the church through the central doorway.
San Marco interior
San Marco.
San Marco changes according to change in the outside light during the day illuminating the mosaics. It is best to view them from the inside gallery. Over the gallery is the Pentecost dome with the oldest mosaics, from the 12th C. The Ascension dome in the middle is from the 13th C.
The mosaics cover in sum about an acre. They are lively and show interaction between people, distinguishing this church from its stiff Byzantine antecedents where each person lives in its own world. Thus they mark out the start of the leadership role of Venetian artists in Western painting during the following several centuries.
After looking around in the main church we go to the back of the chancel to see the precious altarpiece.
Pala d’Oro
San Marco.
The altarpiece of the church is now behind the chancel, made in the 10th C. by Venetian goldsmiths, three square meters, covered with 250 miniature pictures, each decorated with precious stones and enamels. It is an extraordinary altarpiece, probably the most valuable one in the world. Napoleon robbed a few jewels from it, but otherwise it has survived intact.
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the robbers and the robbed in history. Venetians robbed the enamel in the altarpiece in Byzantium in 1204, where they also robbed the San Marco horses. Later Napoleon robbed the horses from Venice in 1797, but they were later returned by the Austrians when he was deposed.
The most holy relics of the church, the remains of St Mark, were proudly stolen by Venetians from Alexandria in 828. In fact they were similar to the Vikings and other maritime nations in being both adept at commerce and robbery. Venetians managed for instance to turn the 4th Crusade into the destruction and plunder if their competitor in Byzantium.
We return from the choir to the entrance. Inside the church, south of the entrance there are stairs up to the gallery, where we enter the Treasury of the church and the balcony above the central doorway. We first go out on the balcony.
Equini San Marco
San Marco.
The four statues of horses above the central doorway are replicas of those that stood there for almost six centuries, from 1204 when Venetians robbed them from Byzantium, and until 1797 when Napoleon robbed them from Venice and brought to Paris. From the balcony there is a good view down to Piazza San Marco and the monuments around it.
The original bronze statues are in a corner room behind the balcony. They were originally at the imperial throne at the Hippodrome in Constantinople. They have seen many things in their time, but now in their retirement they probably miss the view.
Before we leave the church we can reflect upon the fact that the composer Monteverdi became a choirmaster here in 1613 starting a period of Venetian supremacy in Western music, which reached a high point in the beginning of the next century when Vivaldi became the musical director of the neighboring Pietà church.
After inspecting the Treasury we return down the stairs and leave the church. We turn left to the southern side of it. In the middle of that side there is a corner sculpture of the Roman Tetrarchs.
Di Tetrarci
Piazzetta. (C2).
Famous sculpture of 4th C. Egyptian porphyry, probably depicting the Tetrarchs, the four Roman emperors, Diocletian, Maximian, Galerian and Constance, that ruled together in harmony at the end of the 3rd C.
Near the sculpture we enter the Ducal Palace.
Palazzo Ducale
Piazzetta. Hours: Open in summer 9-19, in winter 9-16. (C2).
The characteristic landmark of Venice, proudly on view on the lagoon bank in front of San Marco. The palace is the monument that greets travelers who arrive by water to Piazza San Marco. It was for centuries the political center of Venice, the home of the Doge, the meeting place of the congress and the senate, the office of the high court and the secret police.
In its present form it is á playfully light-built and beautiful Gothic palace from the 14th C. and the beginning of the 15. the C. It is unique in having two floors of arcades on all the public fronts, the upper floor in the lace design that can be seen in many Venetian palaces of that period. Above the arcades there are beautifully designed walls of bright Verona marble.
Now it is a museum, where we can see the dwelling of the Doge, the meeting places of the congress and the senate, and the state prison. These dazzling and sumptuous interiors reflect the wealth and power of the city when it battled with great powers like the Eastern Roman Empire and later the Turkish Empire for supremacy on the Eastern Mediterranean.
We walk into the palace atrium through Porta della Carta, a Gothic portico between the palace and San Marco. When we are inside the atrium we see a triumphal arch on our left, Arco Foscari. In front of us there is an immense staircase.
Scala dei Giganti
Palazzo Ducale.
The giant staircase was designed by Antonio Rizzo and built in the latter half of the 15th C. The name of the staircase comes from the oversized sculptures by Sansovino at the top, depicting Neptune and Marz, the gods of the sea and the land.
The staircase was used for official ceremonies. New Doges were crowned there with the Zogia, the Phrygian cap that was higher in the back than in front, distantly similar to the crown of the Lower Egypt in antiquity.
We enter the palace and go to the stairs that run up from the top of Scala dei Giganti inside the palace walls.
Scala d’Oro
Palazzo Ducale.
The golden stairs lead to the 2nd floor of the palace with the meeting rooms and the rooms of the Doge. The stairs were designed by Sansovino in 1554-1558, with gold decorations by Alessandro Vittoria in the vaulted ceiling. It must certainly have been awe-inspiring for visiting foreign dignitaries.
We walk through the impressive rooms and cross the closed Ponte dei Sospiri that connects the palace with the palace of justice. Back in Palazzo Ducale we reach the high point in the great meeting chamber of the congress.
Sala del Maggior Consiglio
Palazzo Ducale.
A giant meeting room of the congress of almost 2000 aristocratic electors and the banqueting room of the government during Venetian independence. One of the largest paintings in the world, Paradise, by Tintoretto, about 180 square meters, decorates the throne end of the room. The walls and ceiling are covered with paintings, some by Veronese.
Here the formal decisions were made on war and peace between the Venetians and the Turks and between the Venetians and their Italian competitors in Genova. Here a formal decision was made to lead the naval battle of Lepanto where Venice, Genova and other Western powers, under the leadership of Venice, in 1571 put en end to the Turkish expansion on the Mediterranean.
We leave the palace, walk around it and upon the bridge of Ponte della Paglia, from where we see a bridge that we crossed when we were inside the palace. It is the bridge that connects the palace with the palace of justice.
Ponte dei Sospiri
Palazzo Ducale. (C2).
The Bridge of Sighs, connecting the Palazzo Ducale with the judicial palace, was built in the latter half of the 16th C. The name derives from the sighs of prisoners, that were led to the execution chambers and saw through the small windows on the bridge some glimpses of life in Venice for the last time, according to folk history.
We return along the palace and arrive at Piazzetta, the square between the palace and Libreria Sansovina. Near the bank there are the two historical columns of San Marco and San Teodoro.
Colonne di San Marco e San Teodoro
Piazzetta. (C2).
This was the main entrance to Venice in olden times when it was only accessible by sea. The columns were plundered from Byzantium like so many things in Venice. In addition to being a kind of a city gate they also were the venue for public executions in the city up to the middle of the 18th C.
On top of the eastern column is a bronze sculpture of the winged lion of San Marco. it is imported and considered to be Chinese in origin. On the western column is a marble sculpture of San Teodoro who was the patron saint of Venice until the relics of St Mark were stolen in Alexandria and smuggled to Venice in 828.
The antique library palace, Libreria Sansovina, an early Renaissance building designed by Jacopo Sansovino and built in 1537-1588, is to the west of the columns. It includes the entrance to the archeological museum.
Museo Archeologico
Piazzetta. Hours: Open 9-14. (C2).
A small and cozy museum of works of art from Roman times, especially from the 2nd C, a perfect haven of peace, when the crowds outside in the Piazza become overbearing.
We return to the Piazzetta and turn our attention to the great tower.
Campanile
Piazza San Marco. Hours: Open 9:30-19. (C2).
The tower was built in 1902-1912 as an exact replica of a tower from 1173 that collapsed in 1902. It is 98,5 meters high, built as a lighthouse and became a church campanile and a state tower. It has five bells, each of whom had its field, one called the senators for meetings, another the congressmen, the third announced executions and two informed on the hours of the day.
An elevator has been installed for travelers to make it easier for them to reach the panoramic platform which gives excellent views over Venice. There is often a long queue at the elevator during the height of the day, making it advisable to arrive early in the morning or late in the evening.
The Loggetta at the bottom of the tower is designed by the 16th C. architect Jacopo Sansovino, who also designed the nearby Libreria Sansoviana and the palaces Ca’Grande and Palazzo Manin-Dolfin at Canal Grande. All this buildings are in the Renaissance style of that time.
From the tower we cross Piazza San Marco in front of the church and enter the clock tower in the row of buildings on the north side of the piazza.
Torre dell’Orologio
Piazza San Marco. Hours: Closed for restoration. (C2).
The tower is best know for the bronze statues of the two Moors on the top, who ring the bell on the hours, popular for wearing nothing under their capes. High on the tower wall is a relief of the winged lion of St Mark. Below it is a sculpture of the Virgin with the Child and moving images of the magi who come every hour to pay their respects.
The most interesting part of the tower is the lower facade with an astronomic clock in gilt and blue enamel, showing the zodiac and the phases of the moon.
We cross the piazza lengthwise to the palace of Ala Napoleonica at the eastern end from where we climb stone stairs to enter the civic museum of art and history.
Museo Correr
Piazza San Marco. Hours: Open Wednesday-Monday 10-17. (B2).
The paintings in the museum are in chronological order, making it easier to understand who styles changed with time. Two of Carpaccio’s paintings are the best known items in the museum: A Young Man in a Red Hat, and Two Venetian Ladies. The museum has also historical maps, weapons and coins from Venice.
There is a large replica of the heavily decorated and glorious ship of the Doge, Bucintoro. It was used every Ascension Day to bring the Doge out to the Adriatic, where he threw a golden ring into the ocean and said: “Desponsamus te mare in signum veri perpetuique dominii” to mark his marriage to the sea and the supremacy of Venice on the ocean.
We finish this walk in the Piazza San Marco area by having coffee in the piazza, either at Florian or Quadri.
Canal Grande
The main thoroughfare and avenue of the city is really a river. Where Canal Grande swings now there was before a river in the lagoon swamps. The city was born on its banks. From the beginning it has been the main traffic artery of the city. It is lined with about 200 ancient palaces on its way of 4 km through the city.
Canal Grande teems with life from morning to evening. Public boats and taxi boats, police boats and ambulance boats, cargo boats and funeral boats, refuse collecting boats and gondolas are milling around. People wait on the banks for a lift over the water river just as people wait for green lights in other cities.
Boat line no. 1 stops at most public landings at Canal Grande. Most descriptions of walks in this database center on the landings. And there are few places in town which are farther than 1 km away from some public boat landing.
We sail from the train station Santa Lucia which connects Venice with the mainland and go in the direction of Piazza San Marco. We choose line no. 1, the so-called Accelerato, which distinguishes itself by being slower and making more stops than other lines. We immediately come to the first bridge.
Ponte Scalzi
Canal Grande. (A1).
Formerly a bridge of wrought iron crossed the canal in this place, but in 1934 this stone bridge was erected.
We soon come to a broad canal on the left side, Canale di Cannaregio. On that canal, near the confluence, is a palace.
Palazzo Labia
Fondamenta Labia. (A1).
The Labias were a rich family of merchants, which bought its way into the aristocracy in the 17th C. Their palace is from the end of that century.
Giambattista Tiepolo decorated the ballroom with frescos which we can see by attending concerts in the palace.
San Geremia, a church in the form of a Greek cross, is in front of the palace and houses the relics of St Lucy.
Next we come to a low and wide palace on the right bank.
Fondaco dei Turchi
Salizzada dei Fondaco dei Turchi. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 9-13. (B1).
A Byzantine palace from the 13th C., one of the oldest and loveliest, and for a long time the largest palace on the Canal, a building of two floors with towers on both ends. The Byzantine style shows well in the sleek columns and high arches.
It was acquired by the Turks in the 17th C. and became their warehouse, hotel and consulate. Its name comes from that time. Fondaco is a corruption of the Arabic Funduk, meaning inn or hotel.
Now the Venetian Museum of Natural History is in the palace.
A little farther on we come to a large palace on the left side, signposted “Casino Municipale” on red satin over the central doorway.
Palazzo Vendramin Calergi
Calle larga Vendramin. (B1).
This palace of three floors is from the beginning of the Renaissance, designed by Mauro Coducci and built around 1500, very clean in style, with Romanesque arches and circular windows.
It is now the city casino, open in winter.
A little bit farther on we come to a church and a boat landing on the left bank.
San Stae
Campo San Stae. Hours: Open 9-12, 16-18. (B1).
A Baroque church from the beginning of the 18th C., clothed in white marble with a front with a giant order of columns and statues.
The chancel houses works of art by Tiepolo and Piazzetta.
From the small square on the embankment in front of the church there is a fine view over Canal Grande to the palaces on the other side.
We continue and come to the right side at a powerful white palace.
Ca’ Pesaro
Calle Pesaro. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday, Galleria 10-17, Museo 9-14. (B1).
A typical Baroque palace, designed by Baldassare Longhena, built in the latter half of the 17th C. in rough three-dimensional style below and richly decorated front above, with columns and pairs of columns.
It is now the modern art museum, Galleria D’Arte Moderna, and the Eastern museum, Museo Orientale. In the art museum there are works by Miró and Matisse, Klee and Kandinsky amongst others.
On the other side of Canal Grande we see a pink palace.
Palazzo Fontana Rezzonico
Strada Nova. (B1).
This palace is best known for being the birthplace of Count Rezzonico who later became the fifth Pope from Venice. It is a mixture of styles, mostly Byzantine, with high and narrow Romanesque arches, but has no arcade on the ground floor. It is characterized by the pink color.
A little farther on is one of the most beautiful palaces in Venice, the golden palace.
Ca’ d’Oro
Strada Nova. Hours: Open 9-13:30. (B1).
A Gothic palace from the 15th C. with lace-like windows and ogee arches is covered in beautiful marble and has oriental pinnacles on the eaves. The front was originally painted in red and blue and decorated with golden leaves that gave the palace its name.
It is now a museum of painting, including works by Mantegna and Sansovino, Carpaccio and Tiziano, Giorgione and Guardi.
Just a little farther on, also on the left, is a pink palace.
Palazzo Sagredo
Campo Santa Sofia. (B1).
A mixture of Byzantine and Gothic styles. The high and slender columns of the first floor are Byzantine and the pointed arches and lace windows of the second floor are Gothic.
On the other side of Canal Grande we see the fish market building of Venice.
Pescheria
Campo della Pescheria. (B1).
The building itself is a 20th C. imitation of the Gothic style. The ground floor is open through and houses the main part of the fish market, even if it overflows into the neighboring streets.
The fish market has been here for six centuries and is still very lively. Early morning is the best time to be there, when Venetian housewives are shopping.
We inspect it later on another trip through Venice. This time we continue and enter a bend on Canal Grande and pass a very old palace on the left side.
Ca’ da Mosto
Calle della Posta. (B1).
One of the oldest palaces in Venice, from the 13th C., a good example of the Byzantine style in architecture.
In the 18th C. this was the finest hotel in Venice, the abode of the Austrian Emperor amongst others.
When we are almost at the Rialto bridge we pass a wide and bright palace on the left.
Fondaco dei Tedeschi
Calle de Fontego dei Tedeschi. (B1).
One of the largest palaces in Venice, built in 1505, with 160 rooms on four floors around a central atrium, formerly the commercial center, warehouse and hotel of German merchants.
Now it is the main post office in town.
Opposite the palace, at the other bridgehead of Rialto, there is another large palace.
Palazzo Camerlenghi
Ruga degli Orefici. (B1).
Built 1528, simple in style, with high Byzantine arched windows. In olden times it was the Ministry of Finance and the ground floor was a jail.
Now it is time to observe the great bridge over the city thoroughfare.
Ponte di Rialto
Canal Grande. (B1).
The oldest and most interesting of the three bridges on Canal Grande, erected where the focus of economic activity has always been, midways between the railway station and San Marco. A bridge has been in this location from the end of the 12th C, but this bridge is from 1588-1591, designed by Antonio da Ponte who won in a competition against Michelangelo, Palladio and Sansovino.
The bridge spans the canal in one step. Each pier rests on 6000 vertical oak trunks which were driven into the ground. It is so wide that it accommodates two rows of shops with walkways on both sides.
The main shopping areas in town are in the vicinity of both bridgeheads. Fashion and souvenir shops are mainly east of the bridge and food markets to the west. The embankment that leads south from the western bridgehead, Riva del Vin, is the main center of outdoor restaurants. From the bridge there is an excellent view to the south along Canal Grande.
We continue on Canal Grande and pass a light-colored palace on the left side behind the Rialto boat landing.
Palazzo Manin-Dolfin
Calle larga Mazzini. (B1).
A simple and stylish Renaissance palace with a Greek arcade, built by the best-known Venetian architect, Sansovino, in 1538-1540, the home of the last Doge of Venice, Ludovico Manin.
Beside it there is a pink palace.
Palazzo Bembo
Riva del Carbon. (B1).
Beautifully designed Gothic palace from the 15th C. with double window arcades in the middle.
A little farther on, also on the left side, we pass some of the oldest and most beautiful palaces on the canal, the twin palaces.
Palazzo Loredan
Riva del Carbon. (B1).
The light and elegant twin palaces are from the end of the 12th C. or the beginning of the 13th. Loredan is the whiter one, the one on the left, very Byzantine in style, with high and slender Romanesque arcades on verandahs running the entire width of the two lower floors
We turn our attention to the other twin to the right.
Palazzo Farsetti
Riva del Carbon. (B1).
This one is rather wider and darker than its twin. It is also from the beginning of the 13th C., in a clean-cut Byzantine style, a textbook example of the Venetian variant of that style. The high and slender Romanesque arcades also here run the entire the width of the front.
The city council of the city is in these two palaces.
A little farther on we pass a blackened marble palace on the same side of the canal.
Palazzo Grimani
Calle Grimani. (B2).
A typical Renaissance palaces which would be rather beautiful, if the front would be cleaned. It is very strict in form and exact in proportions, with Greek columns and Romanesque arches, sharp horizontal lines between floors and wide eaves. The central entrance on the ground floor, with a large central arch flanked by two smaller arches, is called a Venetian Door.
On the other side of the canal, to the left of the San Silvestro boat landing there is a palace with an outcrop on the ground floor.
Palazzo Barzizza
Corte Barzizza. (B1).
A Byzantine palace from the 13th C. with an original front.
We continue and come to a known Renaissance palace on the other side of the canal, just beyond the Sant’Angelo boat landing.
Palazzo Corner-Spinelli
Ramo del Teatro. (B2).
One of the oldest Renaissance palaces, built 1490-1510, a model for later palaces in that style. The lower part of the front is made of large stones with deep gaps between them and the higher part is relatively delicate and decorative.
We now skip a few palaces and make our next observation at the bend of the Canal Grande where we are confronted with the broadside of three university palaces.
Ca’ Foscari
Calle Foscari. (A2).
This is the largest palace of three connected ones, all in the same Late Gothic style, built in the 15th C. with interlacing ribs and pointed ogee arches. All three have the a central section of arcades balconies, so typical of the Late Gothic style in Venice.
The three palaces now constitute the University of Venice.
Almost opposite the university there is an unusually wide palace.
Palazzo Moro Lin
Calle Ca’ Lin. (B2).
A broadside palace from the 17th C., sometimes called the palace of 13 windows.
Almost next door is a powerful palace.
Palazzo Grassi
(B2).
This heavy white palace was built in 1730 in Historical style.
It is now used for art exhibitions, some of them very good.
On the opposite bank is a famous palace at the side of the Ca’Rezzonico boat landing.
Ca’ Rezzonico
Fondamenta Rezzonico. Hours: Open in summer 10-17, in winter Saturday-Thursday 10-16. (A2).
Heavily decorated and proportional front bears witness to the Baroque style of architect Baldassare Longhena, who built it in the latter half of the 17th C.
The palace is no less decorated inside, loaded with paintings, frescos and antiques. The ballroom runs the entire length of the 1st floor, with golden chandeliers and trompe l’oeil frescos in the ceiling and carved furniture. A few ceilings have frescos by Giambattista Tiepolo.
It is now a museum on the 18th C. Venice and includes paintings by Pietro Longhi, Francesco Guardi, Canaletto and Giandomenico Tiepolo.
A little farther on the same side there is an interesting palace.
Palazzo Loredan dell’Ambasciatire
Calle dei Cerchieri. (A2).
Late Gothic palace with Renaissance intrusions, for a long time the embassy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
We continue and arrive at the Accademia boat landing. Behind it we see an old church in a new role.
Santa Maria della Carità
Campo della Carità. (B2).
A church from the Middle Ages, converted into its present look in the 15th C.
The church and the monastery buildings behind it now house one of the best known museums of art in the world, Accademia, which we inspect further on another trip through central Venice.
Here we have a bridge over Canal Grande.
Ponte dell’Accademia
Canal Grande. (B2).
A wooden bridge built as a temporary solution in 1932, usually loaded with pedestrian traffic.
From the bridge we have a good view in both directions along Canal Grande, mainly in the direction of Santa Maria della Salute.
A little further than the northern bridgehead we pass a beautiful palace with a luxuriant garden.
Palazzo Francetti Cavalli
Campo San Vidal. (B2).
Beautifully designed Gothic palace, well preserved.
Opposite there is a beautiful marbled palace.
Palazzo Contarini del Zaffo
Calle Rota. (B2).
Coated in beautiful marble, one of the first palaces in town to be built in Renaissance style, from the latter half of the 15th C. The colorful marble gives it a lively look contrasting with its formal proportions.
A little farther on we pass a palace with mosaics on the right bank.
Palazzo Barbarigo
Campiello San Vio. (B2).
The front side mosaics are prominent and catch the eye of most of those who travel for the first time through Canal Grande. They are in vivid colors with much use of gilt, relative youngsters in this city, from 1887.
Still further on we pass an enormous palace on its own on the left bank.
Ca’ Grande
Fondamenta Corner Zaguri. (B2).
One of the best and best-known works by Sansovino, the main architect in Venice in the Renaissance period, from 1545. The ground floor has massive stones with deep gaps between them. The first floor has a continuos row of arched windows with pairs of columns between them.
A romantic palace is on the other side of Canal Grande.
Palazzo Dario
Calle Barbaro. (B2).
The front of the palace is not proportional. The windows part is to the one side. This is one of the oldest Renaissance palaces, from 1478. The circular windows with an outer circle of smaller circular windows make this palace stand out, also its multicolored marble coating.
Legend says that the owners of the palace will succumb to ill fate, supported by tales, that reach up to the year 1992.
Near it is a palace with a mosaic on the middle of the front.
Palazzo Salviati
Calle Maggiore. (B2).
A small palace owned by a glass factory. The front glass mosaic is recent.
We continue past the Gritti hotel on the left bank. When we arrive at the Salute boat landing we see on the other side an unobtrusive palace between larger ones.
Palazzo Contarini Fasan
Calle dei Pestrin. (B2).
The most elegant palace of Venice is small and narrow, golden and white, Gothic in style, with delicate decorations in balustrades and Arabic ogee arches.
It is sometimes called the House of Desdemona from the Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare.
On our side of the canal, behind the boat landing, is one of the best known churches in town.
Santa Maria della Salute
Campo della Salute. (B2).
A decorative Baroque cake of white limestone, designed by Longhena, built in 1631-1687 in an prime location at the eastern tip of the Dorsoduro peninsula, where Canal Grande meets the lagoon, a main landmark. The octagonal church is overloaded with extras, such as sixteen giant scallop buttresses which pretend to support a large wooden dome that does not need the support.
Inside the church is more moderate. It has an altarpiece and a ceiling fresco by Tiziano and works of art by other well-known artists, such as Jacopo Tintoretto. The mosaic floor is unusually beautiful, with several variations on a circular theme.
Outside the church, on the tip of the peninsula, is a low building.
Dogana di Mare
Punta della Dogana. (B2).
The present customs building is from the latter half of the 17th C. On its tower there are two bronze giants who carry a golden sphere with the Goddess of Fortune that stands on one foot and turns as a weather-cook.
There is a breathtaking view from the tip of the peninsula to the San Marco campanile, the Palazzo Ducale, the promenade of Riva degli Schiavoni, and the islands of San Giorgio Maggiore and Giudecca.
At this spot the Canal Grande ends and the Venetian lagoon starts. We have finished a comprehensive tour through Canal Grande. We take the boat to the San Marco landing on the other side, where we start a new trip through central Venice.
Sestiere San Marco
The large bend on Canal Grande between Ponte Rialto and Palazzo Ducale delimits a district that is known as Sestiere San Marco and is the heart of the city center. We shall now take a round trip through this district and parts of the neighboring districts.
We start our walk at the southwestern corner of Piazza San Marco, walk less than 100 meters on Salizzada San Moisè where we arrive at the by-paths of Calle Vallaresso to the left and Frezzeria to the right. We first turn into the first one and walk along it about 150 meters to its end on the Canal Grande bank.
Calle Vallaresso
(B2).
One of the main gondola landings is on the juncture of the street and the canal bank. It is a busy corner and there are often queues of tourists waiting for testing the characteristic means of transportation in Venice.
Important institutions are here on the corner, on one side Harry’s Bar, which was made famous by Earnest Hemingway, and on the other side the Monaco hotel which has lots of rooms with views to Canal Grande.
In the street there are also expensive fashion and art shops and a theater.
We return on the street and continue about 100 meters along Frezzeria.
Frezzeria
(B2).
One of the main shopping streets of Venice since antiquity. It is typical for such streets in town. The name means that originally it was known for shops that sold arrows. Now most of the shops are clothing shops.
The restaurant La Colomba is in a byway that leads off Frezzeria.
We return to Salizzada San Moisè, turn right, walk about 100 meters out to Campo San Moisè and observe the church.
San Moisè
Campo San Moisè. Hours: Open 15:30-19. (B2).
The decorous and heavy Baroque church from 1668 would be more appealing if the front would be cleaned.
We continue over the square and the bridge on its far side and have a look along the canal.
Rio San Moisè
(B2).
One of the gondola landings is where the bridge crosses the canal, just in front of the unmarked alley that leads to the famous Europa e Regina hotel. The gondoliers sit here in slack times and play cards while they wait for customers, which nowadays almost invariably are Japanese.
From the bridge we continue into the broad street in front of us.
Calle larga 22 Marzo
(B2).
One of the broadest and busiest street in Venice, with fashion shops and hotels on both sides. At the right side we see hotel Saturnia and restaurant Caravella. Narrow alleys lead on the left to the hotels Europa e Regina, Flora and Pozzi.
The hotel and restaurant Gritti is in the neighborhood.
We take a detour to the right along the Calle delle Veste alley out to the Campo San Fantin square, about 100 meters.
Campo San Fantin
(B2).
Some well-known restaurants are at the square and in its neighborhood. The most famous institution is though the opera and theater Fenice.
We inspect the opera house a little further.
Teatro Fenice
Campo San Fantin. (B2).
The oldest and one of the best known opera houses in the world burned in the beginning of 1996. It was from 1792, in a Renaissance style, simple on the outside and loaded with decorations inside, in pink, red and gilt. The galleries were on five floors in a semicircle around the stage and the pit. At the side of the theater there are the hotel and the restaurant Fenice.
The theater is known for the premieres of famous operas such as La Traviata by Verdi, Tancredi and Semiramis by Rossini, I Capuleti ed i Montecchi by Bellini, Rake’s Progress by Stravinsky and Turn of the Screw by Britten. Many works by Richard Wagner, who lived for a long time in Venice, were and are performed here.
Early in the 17th C. Venice became the opera center of Italy and kept that place for three centuries. Here opera changed from being aristocratic and became a popular art form. The operetta form caught on there. In Venice more emphasis was also put on the musical element than in other opera centers. Giuseppi Verdi premiered several of his works here in Teatro Fenice.
We return on Calle delle Veste, turn right into Calle larga 22 Marzo and continue directly on Calle delle Ostreghe in the direction of Campo San Maurizio, a little less than 400 meters in all. On out way we pass a few canal bridges.
Canals
The curved canals often follow the outlines of the more than 100 islands that were the foundation of the city. They constitute a whole net of communication in the city, independent of the streets, often making the length of trips only a fraction of the equivalent ones on land. The canals have an edge over the streets in that the latter are less suitable for the transport of goods.
The canals are cleaned by the tidal currents. In spite of that they tend to fill up with debris and clayey silt that has to be cleansed every now and then to keep them passable for boats. Then the canal is closed, the water pumped out, and rails laid in the bottom to transport the refuse from the digging and pumping boats to the transport boats.
We continue to Campo San Maurizio where we see the tilted campanile of Santo Stefano behind the buildings on the square. We continue directly on Calle dello Spezier to the next square, about 100 meters in all.
Campo Santo Stefano
(B2).
One of the largest squares in town, formerly the center of carnivals and bullfights, but nowadays a playground for children and a resting ground for travelers at sidewalk cafés.
From the south end there are only 100 meters to the Accademia bridge over Canal Grande. This square thus marks a crossroads between Accademia, Piazza San Marco and Ponte Rialto, as is evident from the bustling crowds.
A church is at the north side of the square.
Santo Stefano
Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 8-12 & 16-19, Sunday 7:30-12:30 & 18-20. (B2).
Built in the 14th and 15th C., with a ceiling shaped like a ship’s keel, carved ceiling beams and gothic arches. A few of Tintoretto’s paintings are in the church. The campanile behind is one of the most tilted ones in the city.
We pass through Calle dei Frati along the west front of the church to the next square, a distance of 100 meters.
Campo Sant’Angelo
(B2).
The skewed tower of Santo Stefano looms over the square behind the houses.
We continue about 200 meters on Calle dello Spezier, Calle della Mandola and Calle della Cortesia to the Campo Manin square, where we turn right 100 meters along Calle della Vida, Calle della Locanda and Corte del Palazzo Risi to the round tower in town.
Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo
Corte del Palazzo Risi. (B2).
The lightly built snail of the external staircase in Lombard style is the main characteristic of this 15th C. palace of the Contarini family. The garden is the main venue for the daily meditation of the neighborhood cats.
Restaurant Al Campiello is in an alley near the palace.
We return on Calle della Locanda and Calle della Vida to Campo Manin, where we turn right and follow a signposted and crooked way in the general direction of the Rialto bridge. After about 200 meters we arrive at San Salvatore on our right.
San Salvatore
Hours: Open 10-12 & 17-19. (B1).
A Renaissance church from the beginning of the 16th C. with beautiful colors in a marble floor and a few paintings by Tiziano.
Restaurant Antica Carbonera is nearby, between the church and Canal Grande.
On the other side of the church we come to Merceria, the shortest way between Ponte Rialto and San Marco, about 500 meters, one of the main shopping streets in town. This time we skip it and continue north from the square along Merceria 2 Aprile about 100 meters to the main rendezvous square in Venice.
Campo San Bartolomeo
(B1).
After work Venetians make appointments on this square to prepare for the evening. People wait for each other under the central statue of playwright Carlo Goldoni. There are lots of cafés in this area.
Restaurant Al Graspo de Ua is nearby.
We turn left from the square along Salizzada Pio X, about 50 meters to Ponte Rialto to have a look into the souvenir shops of the bridge and the surrounding area.
Salizzada Pio X
(B1).
Carnival masks are one of the main souvenir items in Venice. They are made after models from the Commedia dell’Arte theater tradition. Crystal is another main souvenir, preferably handmade in the factories on Murano island. The third one is lace from Burano island, and the fourth is goods from handmade marbled paper. All of this is available in the bridge area.
After having walked up to the bridge to have a look around we return along Salizzada Pio X to Campo San Bartolomeo, where we turn left and walk about 250 meters along Salizzada di Fontego de Tedeschi and Salizzada San Giovanni Crisostomo the church with the same name.
San Giovanni Crisostomo
Campo San Giovanni Crisostomo. Hours: Open 8:15-12:15 & 15:30-18. (B1).
A smallish church shaped like a Greek cross, from 1479-1504 in terra-cotta color, decorated with paintings by Giovanni Bellini and Sebastiano del Piombo. It is a comfortable resting place in the bustle of the neighboring streets.
Restaurant Fiaschetteria Toscana is opposite the church.
We continue over the next bridge where we turn right on Salizzada San Canciano. After 100 meters we arrive at Palazzo Boldú, where we turn right on Calle dei Miracoli, cross a bridge to arrive at a canalside church, a distance of about 100 meters.
Santa Maria dei Miracoli
Campo dei Miracoli. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 10-12 & 15-18. (C1).
An enchanting small church from the early Renaissance, designed by Pietro Lombardo, beautifully laid with multicolored marble and other polished stones inside and outside. The western front is especially colorful and decorative with Romanesque window arches and round windows. We shall see more of Lombardo’s works on this walk, but this church is the most important one.
The names is derived from the painting by Nicolò di Pietro of the Virgin and Child above the altar. The painting is said to have miraculous powers. In the vaulted ceiling there are paintings of 50 angels and prophets. The church has recently been renovated so that it now is at its most beautiful.
We leave the church, walk around it, cross the bridge behind it, immediately turn right and walk on Fondamenta Piovan and Calle larga Gallina to the square in front of San Zanipolo and Scuola di San Marco. We start by taking a look at the statue on the square.
Colleoni
Campo San Zanipolo. (C1).
An equestrian bronze statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni, showing well the power and movement of a professional soldier and his wartime charger. It is by Andrea Verrocchio from 1481-1488.
Colleoni was a famous 15th C. general of mercenaries, rented by Venice for battles on land, as their specialty was to fight on the seas. They were better sailors than riders. Colleoni was useful to them and both parties profited by the cooperation.
Finally Colleoni bequeathed a tenth of his wealth to the Venetian Republic with the provision that a statue of him should be put up in front of San Marco. The Venetians agreed to these terms and erected the statue not in front of the San Marco church, but in front of the San Marco clubhouse. The statue has been there ever since, a monument to Venetian craft and wile.
From the statue we have a good view to the front of the clubhouse.
Scuola Grande di San Marco
Campo San Zanipolo. (C1).
The lower part of the marbled front and its original trompe l’oeil entrances are by the famous architect Pietro Lombardo and his son, from 1485-1495. The upper part is by Mauro Coducci, also from the end of the 15th C.
The palace was built as the clubhouse of one of the six main gentlemen’s clubs in town. Most of its works of art have been moved elsewhere, but there are still paintings left by Tintoretto and Veronese.
It is now used as an hospital, Ospedale Civile, and is generally not open to the public.
Right-angled to the front of the church there is the west front of a large church.
San Zanipolo
Campo San Zanipolo. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 7:30-12:30 & 15:30-19. (C1).
One of the two main Gothic churches in Venice, about 100 meters long and correspondingly high, with a simple and powerful west front, built at the end of the 13th C. and the beginning of the 14th C. as the monastery church of Dominicans. The doorway is younger, from the early Renaissance period.
The full name of the church is Santi Giovanni e Paolo, but always pronounced shortened in Venice. It houses famous works of art, especially by Pietro Lombardo, Giovanni Bellini and Paolo Veronese.
Capella del Rosario is to the left of the chancel. It has several paintings by Paolo Veronese, including the Adoration of the Shepherds, on the northern wall, opposite the chapel entrance. We shall go into more details about Veronese in another walk, when we visit the Accademia art museum.
This time we turn our attention first to works by Lombardo.
Pietro Lombardo
San Zanipolo.
The tombs of 25 Doges are here, including the tomb of Pietro Mocenigo on the right side of the entrance, a well-known artwork from 1481 by Pietro Lombardo. To the left of the main altar is the tomb of Andrea Vendramin from 1476-1478, also by Lombardo, who is the author of other works in the church. The altar is much younger, by Baldassare Longhena, from the 17th C.
Lombardo also designed the lower part of the unusual front of Scuola Grande di San Marco and all the enchanting Santa Maria dei Miracoli, which we have seen earlier on this walk. He also designed the rood screen of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, which we shall se on another walk in the city.
Lombardo lived 1435-1515 and worked mainly in Venice. He was one of the main proponents of the Renaissance style in the city, when the earlier Gothic style was fading out, later in Venice than in most other Italian cities.
Now we turn our attention to works by Bellini.
Giovanni Bellini
San Zanipolo.
A famous altar by Bellini is in the right aisle of the church, with a few paintings in a golden frame. The large paintings in the middle row show three saints. Above them are paintings from the life of Christ and below are paintings from the life of St Vincent.
On another walk we shall visit the Accademia and see several other works by Bellini, including paintings of the Virgin with the Child and other holy persons. A famous Virgin altar by him is in Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and his Pietà is in Museo Correr, which we shall also be seeing. Also by him are paintings in San Giovanni Crisostomo, which we saw earlier on this walk.
Giovanni Bellini lived 1430-1516, son of Jacopo Bellini, brother of Gentile Bellini and brother-in-law of Andrea Mantegna, who all were great painters. He was himself a major painter of the earliest Renaissance style, first under the influence of Mantegna, but later showed milder human feelings in his works. They are exact and show a good eye for the play of light and darkness.
We leave the church and go along its south side, cross the square and enter the Calle Bressane alley, cross a bridge and walk along Calle Trévisagna and turn at the next corner to the right on Calle lunga Santa Maria Formosa and arrive after a total of 250 meters at a large square.
Campo di Santa Maria Formosa
(C1).
One of the main market squares of Venice, unusually large in this crowded city. It is lined with small shops, beautiful palaces and the Santa Maria Formosa church. In spite of its proximity to San Marco it is not touristy at all. The atmosphere on the square is local Venetian, just like a world in itself.
We turn our attention to the church.
Santa Maria Formosa
Campo di Santa Maria Formosa. (C1).
Designed in 1492 and was in the building stage during a whole century, contributing to its eclecticism in styles. The side facing the square, with round apses, is completely different from its angular front, facing the canal. The campanile is younger, from 1688, with a well-known grotesque face on its foot.
The best known artwork in the church is an altar in the southern chancel by Paolo il Vecchio, with a central painting of St Barbara and side paintings of saints. St Barbara was the patron saint of soldiers. Other works by Paolo are in the Accademia museum.
We walk around the eastern side of the church and cross a bridge to the doors of the Stampalia museum.
Fondazione Querini Stampalia
Campiello Querini. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 10-12 & 14:30-23:30. (C1).
The palace was designed and built in the 16th C.
It is now a museum of the painting and book collection of the Querini family. It includes works by Giovanni Bellini and Giambattista Tiepolo.
We return over the bridge and take the next one to our left, walk along Rio del Rimedio, turn right into Calle del Rimedio and then left into Calle dell’Angelo and finally to the right into Calle Canonica, which leads us to Piazza San Marco, a little less than 500 meters in all. This walk is finished.
Castello
Riva degli Schiavoni, the wide promenade on the lagoon bank from Palazzo Ducale to the east towards Giardini Pubblici, is the part of the Castello district that travelers know best. Behind it there are quiet and uncrowded alleys and the ancient shipyard of the city.
We surveyed a part of this district in another walk, the areas around San Zanipolo and Santa Maria Formosa. This time we are inspecting the other parts of this district.
We start on the Molo, the promenade in front of Palazzo Ducale, and walk in the easterly direction, cross Ponte della Paglia over to Riva degli Schiavoni.
Riva degli Schiavoni
(C2).
The western end of it is the landing stage of several scheduled boats in the Venetian area. Many travelers arrive here to the city and walk to Piazza San Marco. Thus the western end is often a bustling place with lots of people on the move between boat and piazza, also swarming with souvenir carts and sidewalk cafés.
This has always been a harbor district. In earlier centuries this was the preferential loading and off-loading harbor of merchants from the Dalmatian coast of the other side of the Adriatic Sea, where we now have Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia. Venetians were influential in that area. They called the inhabitants Schiavoni. The name of the promenade is derived from that.
The promenade lies in a soft curve on the lagoon bank and offers a good view to the San Giorgio Maggiore island and ship traffic on the lagoon. It is a popular place for walking and jogging. It also connects the Biennale area with the central city. Often temporary works of art are put up on the promenade in connection with the Biennale and other exhibitions of art.
We walk past the Danieli hotel, where the Rivetta restaurant is behind the hotel, continue on the bank, cross a bridge, go past the Paganelli hotel to the Londra hotel with an equestrian statue in front.
Vittorio Emanuele II
Riva degli Schiavoni. (C2).
No city in Italy is complete without an equestrian statue of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of united Italy. This is the Venetian version, made by Ettore Ferrari in 1887.
We return a few steps and find an alley to the left of the Paganelli hotel. After 100 meters in that alley we come to a small square in front of a church.
San Zaccaria
Campo San Zaccaria. Hours: Open 10-12 & 16-18. (C2).
Built in 1444-1515 in a mixture of late Gothic and early Renaissance for a Benedictine convent. Antonio Gambello started the front in Gothic style and Mauro Coducci finished it in Renaissance style.
On the inside the walls of the church are lined with large paintings. In the northern aisle there is a painting by Giovanni Bellini of the Madonna with the Child.
We cross the square to its northern end and then turn right into Campo San Provolo and Fondamenta dell’Osmarin. There we arrive at a canal which we cross on two bridges for a total distance of less than 300 meters. On the other side of the second bridge there is a canalside path to a church with an unusually tilted campanile.
San Giorgio dei Greci
Rio dei Greci. Hours: Open 9-13 & 14-17. (C2).
A 16th C. church with a campanile that seems to be on the verge of falling into the canal. It is a Greek Orthodox church with an inside gallery for the women congregation and a screen of icons between the nave and the chancel.
Restaurant Arcimboldo is in this area.
We return to the two bridges that we crossed before arriving at the church, turn right and walk on Calle della Madonna and Salizzada dei Greci, cross a bridge and continue alongside the San Antonio church on Salizzada Sant’Antonin to Campo Bandiera e Moro and the Bragora church, about 400 meters in all.
San Giovanni in Bragora
Campo Bandiera e Moro. Hours: Open 8-11 & 17-18. (C2).
A simple Gothic church from 1475-1479.
It has many works of art from the late Gothic and early Renaissance periods, including a Gothic Madonna altar by Bartolomeo Vivarini and a Renaissance high altar painting by Cima da Conegliano of the Baptism of Jesus.
Restaurant Corte Sconta is in this area.
From the southern end of the square we walk less than 100 meters on Calle del Doso to Riva degli Schiavoni, where we turn left on the lagoon bank. We continue over two bridges, less than 400 meters in all, until we come to the canal of Rio dell’Arsenale which leads to the ancient military shipyard. We can now take a detour along the canal to look at the entrance of the yard.
Arsenale
(D2).
The two towers at the ancient military shipyards entrance are from the 16th C. They are a part of a crenellated wall. We cannot enter the shipyards, as it is still a military area even if it is now deserted. We can however sail through it by taking a trip with lines 23 or 52 of the local Vaporetto.
The shipyard was the basis of Venetian hegemony on the eastern Mediterranean, founded in the 12th C. It became the largest shipyard in the world, with a staff of 16,000 people. It was the first conveyor factory in Europe and could in 1574 build a whole galleon while Henry III of France was in town at a banquet that lasted 24 hours.
We return the same way to the lagoon promenade, turn right and enter the museum
of naval history, Museo Storico Navale, open Monday-Saturday 9-13. It shows the interesting story of Venetian shipbuilding.
If we are pressed for time we can return from here on the lagoon promenade to Palazzo Ducale. Otherwise we continue on the bank, cross the next bridge and arrive at a narrow corner house between Riva degli Sette Martiri and Via Garibaldi, 200 meters in all.
Ca’ Giovanni Caboto
Via Garibaldi. (D2).
The corner house was the home of father and son, Sebastian and Giovanni Caboto, who discovered Labrador 1497 in the beginning of the Age of Discovery. They were at that time in the employment of the English king.
Via Garibaldi is one of few avenues in the city, laid in 1808 by filling a canal.
We walk Via Garibaldi to its end, less than 500 meters, where a park lies to the south of the street.
Garibaldi
Viale Garibaldi. (D2).
At this end of the park there is a monument to the Italian freedom hero Garibaldi by Augusto Benvenuti from 1895.
We continue on Via Garibaldi to the Rio di Sant’Anna canal, walk on its south side in the direction of Ponte de Quintavalle, about 500 meters in all.
Ponte de Quintavalle
(D2).
The bridge offers a good view over the wide and quiet Canale di San Pietro and the tilted campanile on the other side.
We cross the bridge and immediately turn left on Calle drio il Campanile to the church, about 300 meters.
San Pietro di Castello
Campo San Pietro. (D2).
The original settlement in Venice was here. This was the episcopal and cardinal seat of Venice during all the independent centuries of the city. The church was the cathedral of Venice from the beginning to 1807, when San Marco took over. The present church is from the middle of the 16th C, but the tilting campanile by Mauro Coducci is older, from 1482-1488.
The old cardinal palace is between church and tower.
We return on the canal bank, cross Ponte de Quintavalle again and continue on Fondamenta Sant’Anna until we come to Calle Tiepolo where we turn left and walk south to the Rio di San Giuseppe canal. There we turn right, cross the next bridge and walk south to the gardens of the international Biennale. This is a walk of about a kilometer.
Giardini Pubblici
(D2).
The gardens are extensive on both sides of Rio dei Giardini. On this side they are called Giardini Pubblici and this is where the Biennale is held. On the other side they are called Parco delle Rimembranze.
We leave the gardens on the lagoon bank and walk on the bank about a kilometer and a half, that is most of they way to Palazzo Ducale. Between Rio della Pietà and Rio dei Greci we come to a church front. We can also skip this church and this walk and take a boat from the Giardini landing at the western tip of the gardens.
La Pietà
Riva degli Schiavoni. Hours: Open 9:30-12:30. (C2).
Rebuilt in 1745-1760, with a front from 1906, originally the church of an orphans’ home, but now mainly used for concerts, which are performed at least Monday and Thursday throughout the year.
The orphans’ home became famous for choirs and most famous for the choirmaster Antonio Vivaldi, who composed here numerous oratories, cantatas and other works for choirs. The church is often called Chiesa di Vivaldi and his works are prominent on the repertoire.
Vivaldi was the most famous Venetian composer, born 1678 and died 1741. He became a priest and worked as the choirmaster of the Pietà orphans’ home. He produced over 770 music pieces, including 46 operas, most of them premiered in Venice. His favorite instrument was the violin. He used it extensively as a solo instrument in his works.
We finish this walk by going less than 300 meters on the bank from the church to Palazzo Ducale.
Dorsoduro
The southern part of the peninsula between Canal Grande to the north and the Venetian Lagoon to the south. The name means, that the earth is more dense and solid than at most other places in the city. The focus of the district is the Accademia museum of art and the bridge in front of that museum, connecting the district to other parts of the city center.
To the west of Accademia there is a quiet residential area of affluent Venetians and foreigners. East of Accademia there is a more lively middle-class area and farthest to the west there is a working-class area. The southern bank on the lagoon is a popular relaxation area with sidewalk cafés where people combine sunshine and sea breeze.
We start our walk at the eastern end, at the Salute boat landing, in front of the church.
Santa Maria della Salute
Campo della Salute. Hours: Open 8:30-12 & 15-17. (B2).
A decorative Baroque cake of white limestone, designed by Longhena, built in 1631-1687 in an prime location at the eastern tip of the Dorsoduro peninsula, where Canal Grande meets the lagoon, a main landmark. The octagonal church is overloaded with extras, such as sixteen giant scallop buttresses which pretend to support a large wooden dome that does not need the support.
Inside the church is more moderate. It has an altarpiece and a ceiling fresco by Tiziano and works of art by other well-known artists, such as Jacopo Tintoretto. The mosaic floor is unusually beautiful, with several variations on a circular theme.
Baldassare Longhena was one of the main Baroque architects of Venice in the 17th C. He also designed the Ca’Pesaro palace and started the Ca’Rezzonico palace.
We walk straight into the district to the west of the church. From the piazza we cross a wooden bridge between the church and monastery of San Gregorio.
San Gregorio
Campo della Salute. (B2).
The remains of a rich monastery of St Gregorian, given up a long time ago. Te church is simple and plain, built of bricks in Gothic style.
We walk alongside the church on Calle Abazia and Calle Bastion, cross a bridge and continue on Calle San Cristoforo to the Guggenheim museum, about 300 meters in all.
Collezione Peggy Guggenheim
Calle San Cristoforo. Hours: Open Wednesday-Monday 11-18. (B2).
An exemplary museum of modern art in a palace that never became more than a ground floor. It exhibits works by Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Constantin Brancusi, Max Ernst, Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Giorgio de Chirico, Kasimir Malevich and Marino Marini.
Peggy Guggenheim was a great connoisseur and avantgardist in art, when she collected works by the painters who later were acclaimed as the main painters of the 20th C. His collection is small and refreshing, exhibiting only the cream of the cream in modern painting. It is a perfect alternative when we get tired of the ancient art which we are seeing all over the place in town.
Plans are for expanding the museum into the old customs building, Dogana di Mare beside the Salute church. It will enable the museum to exhibit more works that are now in its storerooms.
We continue from the museum a few steps to Fondamenta Venier.
Rio della Torreselle
Fondamenta Venier. (B2).
A peaceful canal on the path between Salute and Accademia.
Restaurant Ai Gondolieri is on the canal. Hotel and restaurant Agli Alboretti is a few steps from the Accademia end of the path from the canal to Accademia.
We walk along the canal and then continue directly in Calle della Chiesa and Piscina Fornier, past the Collezione Cini museum of art, which is sometimes open but most often not open, and continue on Calle Nuova Sant’Agnese to the western side of Accademia, about 300 meters in all. We turn right and walk to the front of the museum to find the entrance.
Accademia
Campo dei Carità. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 9-14, Sunday 9-13. (B2).
The best and the largest art museum in Venice is housed in a monastery and the monastery church of Santa Maria della Carità. It shows the evolution of Venetian painting from the Byzantine and Gothic beginnings to the Renaissance and Baroque periods. As Venetian art is of prime importance in these styles, the Accademia museum is one of the most important art galleries in the world.
Valued works of art from deconsecrated and dismantled churches and monasteries in the city have been moved here, in addition to some of the best known examples of Venetian history of art. The exhibition is in chronological order, making it easy to follow the evolution of Venetian art. The artworks are well-spaced for better visitor enjoyment, especially on a bright day.
Exhibition space increased when the academy moved its premises, enabling the exhibition of more works of art. The museum has works by the Byzantine painters Paolo Veneziano and Lorenzo Veneziano, the Renaissance painters Jacopo Bellini, Gentile Bellini and Giovanni Bellini, Palma and Tiziano, and the Baroque painters Giambattista Tiepolo and Giandomenico Tiepolo.
We are going to have a good look at works by the early Renaissance painter Carpaccio, the late Renaissance painter Tintoretto and the Baroque painter Veronese.
Vittore Carpaccio
Accademia.
Carpaccio (1486-1525) arrived on the artistic scene in Venice in the wake of the Bellini father and sons, used sharp drawing and mild colors, combined with exactitude. The Canal Grande painting of The Healing of the Madman has an historical value in addition to the artistic one, as he even painted the text on the shop signs. It also shows the medieval wooden Rialto bridge.
His works are also exhibited in the museums of Ca’d’Oro and Museo Correr.
Tintoretto is another major painter in Accademia.
Jacopo Tintoretto
Accademia.
Tintoretto (1518-1594) was the main Venetian painter during the Palladian period of the Renaissance style. He extensively used dark areas against very bright areas for contrast, strong colors and contrasting colors. Most of his paintings are of a religious nature.
Accademia has a few of his paintings, but Scuola Grande di San Rocco has far more. His giant painting of Paradise and a few others are in the banqueting and main meeting room of Palazzo Ducale. His paintings are in several churches in the Cannaregio district where he lived.
Veronese is the third painter that we are specially mentioning, the rival of Tintoretto.
Paolo Veronese
Accademia.
Veronese (1528-1588) was one of the main originators of the Palladian Renaissance in art. He was born in Verona but was mainly active in Venice. His paintings are bright and colorful, some are oversized and complicated, with realistic detail. One of them is Feast in the House of Levi, a giant painting in Accademia.
We can see his paintings elsewhere in Venice, such as in the Palazzo Ducale and the Ca’Rezzonico museum.
We leave Accademia, turn right around the museum and walk on Rio terrà Antonio Foscarini to the lagoon bank, about 300 meters. At the end we have a church on our right side.
Gesuati
Fondamenta Zattere ai Gesuati. Hours: Open 8-12 & 17-19. (B2).
A Dominican monastery church from the early 18th C., heavily decorated inside.
It is best known for the ceiling frescos by Giambattista Tiepolo with a play of light and shadow. It also has altar paintings by Tintoretto and Tiziano.
We study the Tiepolo frescos a little further.
Giambattista Tiepolo
Gesuati. (B2).
The Rococo painter Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770) came more than a century after Veronese, the very last of the famous Venetian painters. His works are the swan’s song of Venetian painting. He was very popular in his home city and worked also a lot at foreign courts, such as Carlo’s III of Spain.
Tiepolo used light and shado
