Venice Off the Beaten Path

Last week my Imagery and Public Space class went to Venice for a day trip. Lucky for us, our professor, Dr. Steer is from Venice, so while I had absolutely no clue where we were walking, it was nice to not be staring at map.

Other benefits of having a professor from Venice include seeing lesser-known artworks, or perhaps lesser found works of art because as the title of this post suggests, this was a tour “off the beaten path.”

Fun Facts:

There are winged lions all over the city, the symbol of St. Mark.

Venice is shaped like a dolphin, and miraculously standing on stilts above water. We had beautiful weather, but I imagine that when it rains or floods, you may need a boat tied to your front door.

Arriving into Venice by train, the city seems to rise up out of the water, and you can only begin to imagine what inside might be like. Dr. Steer met us at the train station and we were off to start what would become a day packed with art everywhere we turned (which I have come to learn is not unusual for Italy).

The streets are winding, and while one minute you can be standing in a narrow alley in the shade, within the next few steps you may emerge into a wide piazza filled with pigeons going haywire with the sun full force on your face. Filled with darks and lights, the city itself seems to mirror the chiaroscuro that is so common in the region’s art.

Our Route:

Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari

(houses Titian’s breathtaking Assunta of Mary ascending into the heavens above the high altar. With the light streaming in, there is so much gold your vision starts to swim).

Scuole Grande di San Rocco

The confraternity meeting house, again we find the balance between the sacred and the secular in canvas paintings by Tintoretto that cover the entire ceiling and walls. Supposedly, the Baroque master of the chiaroscuro technique, Caravaggio, takes his inspiration from Tintoretto, and no wonder because the sense of drama due both to the size of the canvas and the scene is palpable.

After lunch we took a gondola ride crossing the canal to get to our next stop! There were 12 of us, plus one man with a massive Ikea bag, so we held on tightly when we were informed that falling over was not uncommon…having seen the James Bond movie, I knew I probably didn’t want to swim in that water.

Basilica di San Marco

St. Mark’s Church, built to house the relics of St. Mark, was constructed in the Byzantine tradition and covered in glittering, gold mosaics.

Here we are overlooking the Piazza San Marco.

Chiesa San Zaccaria

A convent to house the city’s wealthiest unmarried daughters. Most went kicking and screaming, and one of the girls even went so far as to sneak her boyfriend in…where he lived in the underground tombs. Now that’s dedication.

San Giorgio de’Schiavoni

Another confraternity meeting house, but much smaller than San Rocco. Here were scenes of St. George battling the dragon and saving the princess.

After a water-taxi ride to the train station (I recommend taking some Dramamine), we all left Venice talking about when we were going back. Sometimes feeling lost is a good thing, and in Venice, it is.

Ciao for now!

Clara Martin, Vanderbilt University

CET Florence Student Correspondent

Fall 2011