{"id":3552,"date":"2016-02-20T19:12:04","date_gmt":"2016-02-21T00:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/svetanyc.com\/?p=3552"},"modified":"2017-06-08T10:56:48","modified_gmt":"2017-06-08T14:56:48","slug":"venice2016-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/192.168.2.119:1984\/svetanyc\/2016\/02\/venice2016-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Venice, Italy. Part II. February 2016."},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou will fall in love with the city itself. There is nothing left over in your heart for anyone else\u201d – Peggy Guggenheim<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMemory\u2019s images, once they are fixed in words, are erased,\u201d Marco Polo said. \u201cPerhaps I am afraid of losing Venice all at one, if I speak of it. Or perhaps, speaking of other cities, I have already lost it, little by little.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

For the Part I<\/strong> of the Venice (History, Piazza San Marco, The Grand Canal, Sestieri di San Marco & Castello)\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sestieri San Polo and eastern\u00a0Santa Croce<\/strong><\/p>\n

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San Polo is Venice\u2019s smallest but oldest sestiere, dating back to the 9th century. The Rialto, as area near the bridge is known, takes its name from rivo alto<\/em> (high bank) and was one of the first areas of Venice to be inhabited. A banking and then market district, it remains one of the city\u2019s busiest and most bustling areas. Home to the number of colorful cicchetti<\/em><\/a> pubs, it\u00a0is a great place to explore and have lunch. I spent quite a lot of time in this part of town, because it is a beautiful, mostly residential area, has plenty of sights, museums and mask ateliers, but also because I saw a pair of earrings in a shop window so I kept coming back there, every single day, until the shop was finally open (Frederica Rossi<\/a>). I became so acquainted with the neighborhood, that I no longer needed a map or street name\u00a0to know where I was; the sestiere\u2019s shop owners, consequently, got to know me as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I begin the tour of those two areas (I combined San Polo with the very eastern\u00a0part of Santa Croce, as they organically form a \u201d dog\u2019s head\u201d on the map of Venice), from the Rialto Bridge<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(p.63 on the map).\u00a0<\/strong>Of Venice\u2019s more than 400 bridges, only four cross the Grand Canal and Rialto was the first among them all. The original Rialto Bridge, dating from 1180, was a platform supported by boats tied together. It linked the political side (palazzo Ducale) of the city with the economic center (Rialto). When Venice was Europe\u2019s economic superpower, this was where bankers, brokers, and merchants conducted their daily business. Rialto Bridge II was a 13th century wooden drawbridge. It was replaced in 1588 by the current structure, with its bold single arch (spanning 50 m) and arcades on top designed to strengthen the stone span. Its immense foundations stretch almost 200 m on either side; heavy buildings were then built atop the foundations to hold everything in place. This superb feat of engineering by Antonio da Ponte cost 250,000 gold ducal to construct \u2013 a staggering sum that puts Calatrava Bridge cost overruns into perspective. The Rialto remained the only bridge crossing the Grand Canal until 1854.<\/p>\n

Marking the geographical center of Venice (midway down the Grand Canal), the Rialto is the most sensible location for retail shops. The government built it with an accurate expectation that it would soon pay for itself with rent from the shops built into it. Like the older Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the Rialto was originally lined with luxury gold and jewelry shops, but now its vendors sell cheap Chinese items of Venetian resemblance. The bridge is cleverly designed to generate maximum rent: three lanes, two rows of twelve shops each, with a warehouse area above each shop under the lead-and-timber roof.<\/p>\n

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Reliefs of the Venetian Republic\u2019s main symbols, St. Mark and St. Theodore, crown the arch. Barges and vaporetti run the busy waterways below, and merchants vie for tourists\u2019 attention atop. The Rialto has long been a symbol of Venice. Aristocratic inhabitants built magnificent palaces just to be near it. The poetic Lord Byron swam to it all the way from Lido island and thousands of marriage proposals have been sealed right here, with a kiss, as the moon floated over La Serenissima.<\/p>\n

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From the top, walk down the bridge (heading away from the St. Mark\u2019s side) and about 50 m onward, until you see an old square with a fountain on your right \u00a0\u2013 Campo San Giacomo.\u00a0<\/strong>The square looks like it did in the 16th century. After a fire devastated the area, this High Renaissance square was built, in 1520 \u2013 or \u201cMDXX\u201d, as it says on the arcade. The church San Giacomo di Rialto<\/a>\u00a0(p.28 on the map), which escaped the fire, had one of the oldest facades in town, with a clock that predates minute hands. Notice that the square sloped toward the center \u2013 originally, rainwater flowed to the center, filtered down through limestone, where it was collected in an underground cistern. Several thousand cisterns like this provided the city with its drinking water up until 1886, when an aqueduct was built (paralleling the railroad bridge) to bring water from nearby mountains. Back when the Rialto Bridge was a drawbridge, big ships would dock here to unload their spices, oil, wine and jewels. The line of buildings between Campo San Giacomo and the canal was once a strip of banks \u2013 the Bancogiro. Today it\u2019s a line of popular eateries. Behind today\u2019s trashy jewelry stands are real jewelry shops, which have thrived here for more than 500 years.<\/p>\n

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Opposite the church, find the granite hunchback supporting steps leading to a column. Back when this prosperous neighborhood was Europe\u2019s Wall Street, the column was its \u201cWall Street Journal\u201d. A man climbed the stair each noon, stood atop the column, and read aloud the daily news from the doge: which ships had docked, which foreign ambassadors were in town, the price of pepper, and so on.<\/p>\n

Walk along the left side of the church and turn left, to the canal\u2019s edge. Look back at the large white building behind the church (the city\u2019s fiscal administration building). Notice how it tilts out, probably because the bridge\u2019s huge foundation is compressing the mud beneath it. Now, walk along the canal to a little canalside dead-end, that is as close as you can get to the Rialto Bridge. Take in the great view of the bridge. The former post-office (directly across) was originally the German merchants\u2019 hall but it is about to be reincarnated as a shopping center.<\/p>\n

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You are standing under a former prison, study the orin grills over the windows \u2013 notice the interlocking pipes with alternating joints \u2013 you couldn\u2019t cut just one and escape. From the prison, walk back along the canal, through the triple archway, cross the square, and enter another one named Casaria (for the historic cheese market). Today, this is Venice\u2019 produce market. Colorful stalls offer fresh fruit and vegetables, some quite exotic. Nothing is grown on the island of Venice, so everything is shipped in daily from the mainland. The Mercato Rialto vaporetto stop is a convenient place for boats to unload their wares, here in the heart of fish-shaped Venice. #203-204, the shop called Macellaria Equina sells horse and donkey (asino) meat, if you are looking for extreme, but I, as a pescaterian, followed my nose to Mercato del Pesce<\/strong> (p. 59 on the map). This market is especially vibrant and colorful in the morning. The opening stalls have the catch of the day \u2013 Venice\u2019s culinary specialty. Find eels, scallops, crustaceans with five-inch antennae, and squid destined for tonight\u2019s risotto soaking in their own ink. This is the Venice that has existed for centuries: workers toss boxes of fish from delivery boats while shoppers step from the traghetto into the action. It is a good peek at workday Venice. In the courtyard between market buildings, locate a square white Istrian stone on the wall between two arches. It lists the minimum length permitted for a fish to be sold. Sardines must be 7 cm, mussels (peocio) \u2013 3 cm. When you are ready, follow Ruga dei Spezieri (Spicers\u2019 Road) back toward Rialto. Along the way, pop into Antica Drogheria Mascari at #380, which hides a vast enoteca holding 600 different Italian wines arranged by region, plus spices and lots of gifty edibles. At the end of Ruga dei Spezieri, you will see a sign for Ruga Vecchia San Giovanni, turn right along it.<\/p>\n

Here is a very antique\u00a0Chiesa di\u00a0San Giovanni Elemosinario<\/a><\/strong> (San Giovanni Elemosinario, p.5 on the map, Chorus pass, pictures are allowed).\u00a0Nestled into the dense area near the Rialto Market (with your back to the Bridge, turn left just past the flea market booths; the entrance will be through the frescoed arch behind iron gates on your left). Founded in 1071, this soaring Renaissance brick church, was re-built by Scarpagnino after a disastrous fire in 1514, which destroyed much of the Rialto area. Cross the darkened threshold to witness flashes of Renaissance genius: Titian\u2019s tender \u201cSt. John the Almsgiver\u201d and gloriously restored frescoes of frolicking angels by Pordenone.<\/p>\n

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This busy Ruga street is lined with shops that get progressively less touristy and more practical. As you walk, you\u2019ll see fewer trinkets and more clothes, bread, shoes, watches, shampoo, etc. The Ruga changes name as you go, but just keep heading basically straight (when in doubt, which is a permanent condition in Venice, follow signs pointing to Ferrovia train station). Shortly, you come to Campo San Polo <\/strong>\u2013\u00a0one of the largest squares in Venice \u2013 it is shaped like an amphitheater, with its church tucked away in the corner. The square\u2019s shape was determined by a curved canal at the base of the buildings. Today, the former canal is now a rio tera. <\/em>A few rare trees grace the square, as do rare benches occupied by grateful locals. The Chiesa di San Polo<\/a><\/strong> (Church of San Polo, p.6 on the map, Chorus pass, pictures are allowed) is one of the oldest in Venice, and dates from the 9th century. Rebuilt in the 15th and revamped in the early 19th century in Neo-Classical style, this church is worth visiting for the lovely Gothic portal and the Romanesque lions at the foot of the 14th century campanile \u2013 one holds a serpent between its paws, the other \u2013 a human head. The wooden, boat-shaped ceiling recalls the earliest basilicas built after Rome\u2019s fall. While the church is skippable for many, art enthusiasts shouldn\u2019t miss it. Under the carena di nave<\/em> ceiling, Tintoretto\u2019s \u201cLast Supper\u201d shows apostles alarmed by Jesus\u2019 announcement that one of them will betray him. But also, there are Gianbattista Tiepolo\u2019s \u201cVirgin Appearing to St. John of Nepomuk\u201d and his son Domenico\u2019s \u201cStations of the Cross\u201d, and Veronese\u2019s \u201cBetrothal of the Virgin with Angels\u201d.<\/p>\n

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From the Church of San Polo, continue about 200 m, cross the bridge onto Calle dei Nomboli, until you see Casa di Goldoni<\/a> <\/strong>(Carlo Goldoni\u2019s House, p. 72 on the map, Museum pass, photos allowed).\u00a0Casa di Carlo Goldoni was built in the 15th century and has maintained all the features of Venetian Gothic architecture of that period. The particularly interesting aspects of the building are the three-part canal facade with its richly-decorated four-arched window, and the entrance giving onto Calle dei Nomboli, which leads into an atmospheric courtyard with an external two-flight staircase bound by a banister in small columns of Istrian stone.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Initially owned by the Rizzo family, the palazzo was rented to the Centanni family and became the centre of a very active artistic and literary Accademia in the 16th century. Towards the end of the 17th century, Carlo Alessandro Goldoni \u2013 the playwright\u2019s paternal grandfather and a notary from Modena \u2013 took up residence here. Carlo Goldoni himself was born here in 1707 (25 February), and the building would remain the family home until 1719. Playwright Carlo Gondoli mastered second and third acts as well: he was a doctor\u2019s apprentice before switching to law, which provided handy when an opera buffa<\/em> (comic opera) didn\u2019t\u00a0sell. In 1914 Aldo Rav\u00e0, a noted scholar of 18th century Venice \u2013 together with Count Piero Foscari and Commendatore Antonio Pellegrini \u2013 bought the palazzo from its owner, Contessa Ida Manassero Camozzo, with the idea of using it to house a museum dedicated to the great playwright and to the history of Italian theatre. The project came to nothing because of the outbreak of war, and then in 1931 Ca\u2019 Centanni was donated to the City Council to be restored and \u2013 with a slight variation on the original scheme \u2013 turned into a Goldoni museum and a study centre for matters relating to theatre. Again, war held up the work, which was only completed in 1953. The building houses a small museum of Goldoni memorabilia and artifacts relating to Venetian theatre, but focuses primarily on its role as a study centre, with constant additions to its library and archive.<\/p>\n

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Across \u00a0from Casa di Goldoni, at #2800 is Tragicomica Mask shop<\/strong><\/a>, one of Venice\u2019s best mask stores and a workshop that offers a glimpse into the process of mask-making. Venice\u2019s masks have always been a central feature of the celebration of Carnevale \u2013 the local pre-Lent (the translation of the word means \u201cgoodbye to meat\u201d, referring to the lean days of Lent). Many masks are patterned after standard characters of the theater style known as commedia dell\u2019arte: the famous trickster Harlequin, the beautiful and cunning Columbina, the country bumpkin Pulcinella (who later evolved into the Punch of marionette shows), and the solemn, long-nosed doctor. My husband and I came to Venice to attend one of the Carnevale\u2019s balls so Tragicomica became our masks and costume supplier, but we will talk about Carnevale later.<\/p>\n

Continue along, cross the bridge and veer right till you bump in the back end of the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.<\/strong><\/a> (Frari Church, p.7 on the map, Chorus pass, pictures are allowed. Rick Steves\u2019 audio tour of the Frari, allow 60-90 mins). After the Basilica di San Marco, dei Frari is the most remarkable ecclesiastical complex in Venice, as well as one of the most important Franciscan foundations in Italy. For me, this church offers the best art-appreciation experience in Venice, because so much of its great masterpieces\u00a0are in situ<\/em> – right where they were\u00a0designed to be seen, rather than hanging in the museum. Originally built between 1236 and 1338 by the Franciscan Conventual Friars, the structure was thoroughly re-modeled in the 14th century and given its present more grandiose form of central nave, two side aisles and seven apsidal chapels after Franciscan-Gothic designs. The Franciscan order was inspired by St. Francis of Assisi (c.1182-1226), who dedicated himself to a non-materialistic lifestyle. The spirit of St. Francis of Assisi warms both the church of his \u201cbrothers\u201d (frari<\/em>) and the art that decorates it. The Franciscan love of all of creation \u2013 Nature and Man \u2013 later inspired Renaissance painters to capture the beauty of the physical world and human emotions showing worshippers the glory of God in human terms. Over the centuries the basilica has become a veritable treasure-chest of exceptional works of art.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Enter the church and find the spot with a good view down the long nave toward the altar.<\/p>\n

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The simple, spacious (100 m long), well-lit Gothic church (p.1) \u2013 with rough wood crossbeams and a red-and-white color scheme \u2013 is truly a remarkable sight in a city otherwise crammed with exotic froufrou. Because Venice\u2019s spongy ground could never support a real stone Gothic church (such as those you\u2019d find in France), the Frari is made of light and flexible brick. Traditionally, churches in Venice were cross-shaped, but this T-shaped footprint featured a long, lofty nave \u2013 flooded with light and suited to large gatherings \u2013 where common people heard sermons. The wooden choir area in the center of the nave allowed friars to hold smaller, more intimate services. From the early 16th century, as worshippers entered the church and looked down the long nave to the altar, they were greeted by Titian\u2019s glorious painted altarpiece \u2013 then, as now, framed by the arch of the choir entrance.<\/p>\n

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Walk prayerfully toward the Titian, stopping in the finely carved 1480s choir (p.10). Notice the fine inlay above the chairs, showing the Renaissance enthusiasm for Florentine-style depth and perspective. Approach Titian\u2019s (Tiziano Vecellio) \u201cThe Assumption of the Virgin\u201d<\/strong> (1516-1518) (p.2). Glowing red and gold like a stained-glass window, this altarpiece sets the tone of exuberant beauty found in this church. At the end of her life (though looking 17 here), Mary was miraculously \u201cassumed\u201d into heaven. As cherubs lift her to meet a Jupiter-like God, the stunned apostles on earth reach up to touch the floating bubble of light. Look around. The church is littered with chapels and tombs \u201cmade possible by the generous financial support\u201d of rich people who donated to the Franciscans for the good of their souls (and usually for tomb-topping statues of themselves, as well). For the altar, they hired the new whiz artist, Titian, to create a dramatic painting. Unveiled in 1518, the work scandalized a Venice accustomed to simpler, more contemplative church art. The rich colors, twisting poses, and mix of saccharine angels with blue-collar apostles were unheard of. Most striking, this Virgin is fully human, not a stiff icon on a throne. The Franciscans thought this Mary aroused excitement rather than spirituality. They agreed to pay Titian only after the Holy Roman Emperor offered to buy the altar if they refused. In a burst of youthful innovation, Titian had rewritten the formula of church art, hinting at changes to come with the Mannerist and Baroque styles. He energized the scene with a complex composition, overlapping a circle (Mary\u2019s bubble) and a triangle (draw a line from the apostle reaching up to Mary\u2019s face and down the other side) on three horizontal levels (God in heaven, Man on earth, Mary in between). Together, these elements draw our eyes from the swirl of arms and legs to the painting\u2019s focus \u2013 the radiant face of a triumphant Mary, \u201cassumed body and soul into heaven\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Flanking the painting are marble tombs lining the walls. On the wall to the right of the altar is the Tomb of Doge Foscari <\/strong>(15th century) (p.21). This heavy, ornate tomb marks the peak of Venice\u2019s worldly power. Doge Francesco Foscari (1373-1457) assumed control of the city\u2019s powerful seafaring empire and then tried to expand it onto the mainland, battling Milan in a 31-year war of attrition that swept through northern Italy. Meanwhile, on the unprotected easter front, the Ottomans took Constantinople and scuttled Venice\u2019s trade. Venice\u2019s long slide into historical oblivion had begun. Financially drained city fathers forced Foscari to resign, turn in his funny hat, and hand over the keys to the Palazzo Ducale.<\/p>\n

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In the first chapel to the right of the altar, you will find Donatello\u2019s Statue of John the Baptist<\/strong> (1438) (p.6). In the center of the altarpiece, the cockeyed prophet of the desert \u2013 emaciated from his breakfast of bugs and honey and dressed in animal skins \u2013 freezes mid-rant when he spies something in the distance. His jaw goes slack, and he twists his face and raises his hand to announce the coming of\u2026. the Renaissance. Florentine expatriates living in Venice commissioned Donatello to make this wooden statue, and it reflects their tastes. The Renaissance began in Florence in the 1400s, where Donatello (1386-1466) created realistic statues with a full range of human emotions. This warts-and-all John the Baptist is harshly earthy, with muted colors. By contrast, Venetian art is generally soft-focused and beautiful, with bright colors.<\/p>\n

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Enter the sacristy through the door at the far end of the right transept. You\u2019ll bump into an elaborate altar crammed with reliquaries. Opposite that (near the entrance door) is a clock, intricately carved from a single piece of wood. At the far end of the room, you\u2019ll find Giovanni Bellini\u2019a \u201cMadonna and Child with Saints and Angels\u201d<\/strong> (1488) (p.8). The Pesaro family, who negotiated and acceptable price and place for their family tomb, funded this delightful chapel dominated by a Bellini masterpiece. Mary sits on a throne under a half-dome, propping up Baby Jesus (who\u2019s just learning to stand), flanked by saints and serenaded by musician angels. Bellini (1430-1516), the father of the Venetian Renaissance, painted fake columns and a dome to match the real ones in the gold frame, making the painting seem to be an extension of the room. He completes the illusion with glimpses of open sky in the background. Next, he fills the artificial niches with symmetrically posed, thoughtful saints \u2013 left to right, find Saints Nicholas, Peter, Mark, and Benedict.<\/p>\n

Bellini combined the meditative poses of the Venetian Byzantine tradition with Renaissance improvements in modern art. He made the transition from painting with medieval tempera (egg yolk-based) to painting in oil (pigments dissolved in vegetable oil). Oils allowed a subtler treatment of colors because artists could apply them in successive layers. And because darker colors aren\u2019t so muddy when painted in oil, they \u201cpop\u201d, effectively giving the artist a brighter palette. Bellini virtually invented the formula (later to be broken by his precocious pupil, Titian) for Venetian altarpieces. This type of holy conversation between saints and Mary we already observed in Chiesa di San Zaccaria. Renaissance humanism demanded Madonnas and saints that were accessible and human. Bellini delivers, but places them in a physical setting so beautiful that it creates its own mood of serene holiness. The scene is lit from the left, but nothing casts a harsh shadow \u2013 Mary and the baby are enveloped in a glowing aura of reflecting light from the golden dome. The beauty is in the details, from the writing in the dome, to the red brocade backdrop, to the swirls in the marble steps, to the angels\u2019 dimpled legs.<\/p>\n

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In the adjoining room, find a painting in the shape of a Gothic arch, it is Paolo Veneziano\u2019s \u201cMadonna and Child with Doge Francesco Dandolo\u201d <\/strong>(c.1339) (p.9). Bellini\u2019s Byzantine roots can be traced to Paolo Veneziano (literally \u201cPaul the Venetian\u201d), the first \u201cname\u201d artist in Venice, who helped to shape the distinctive painting style of his city. Veneziano paints Byzantine icons, then sets them in motion. Baby Jesus turns to greet a kneeling Doge Dandolo, while Mary turns to acknowledge the doge\u2019s wife. None other than St. Francis presents Dandolo to the Madonna. Both he and St. Elizabeth (on the right) bend at the waist and gesture as naturally as 14th century icons can.<\/p>\n

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Return to the nave and head left, toward the far end. Turn around and face the altar. The Tomb of Titian\u00a0<\/strong>(1852) (p.11) is in the second bay on your right. This enormous carved marble monument is labeled \u201cTitiano Ferdinandus MDCCCLII.\u201d The tomb celebrates both the man and his famous paintings (depicted in the background reliefs). Titian (1488-1576) sits center stage, with a beard and crown of laurels. Titian was the greatest Venetian painter, excelling equally in inspirational altarpiece, realistic portraits, joyous mythological scenes, and erotic female nudes. As a young man, he studied as a mosaic-maker and then a painter under Giovanni Bellini and Giorgione. Soon he established his own bold style, which featured teenage Madonnas, like the Frari altarpiece. He became wealthy and famous, traveling Europe to paint stately portraits of kings and nobles, and colorful, sexy works for their bedrooms. But he always returned to his beloved Venice (see winged lion on top)\u2026 and favorite Frari Church. In his old age, Titian painted dark, tragic masterpieces. His \u201cPieta\u201d (see relief in upper left) was intended for his tomb but ended up in the Accademia. Nearing 90, he labored to finish the Pieta as the plague enveloped Venice. One in four people died, including Titian\u2019s son. Heartbroken, Titian died soon afterward. The cause of his death was probably the plague, although his death was officially chalked up to influenza to keep his body from being burned \u2013 a requirement for plague victims. His tomb was built three centuries later to remember and honor this great Venetian.<\/p>\n

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On the opposite side of the nave is the pyramid-shaped Canova Monument<\/strong> (1827) (p.12). Antonio Canova (1757-1822, see his portrait above the door) was Venice\u2019s greatest sculptor. He created gleaming white, highly polished statues of beautiful Greek gods and goddesses in the Neoclassical style. The pyramid shape is timeless, suggesting pharaohs\u2019 tombs and the Christian Trinity. Mourners, bent over with grief, shuffle up to pay homage to the master artist. Even the winged lion is choked up. Follow me here. Canova himself designed this pyramid-shaped tomb, not for his own use, but as a tomb of an artist he greatly admire: Titian. But the Frari picked another design for Titian\u2019s tomb, so Canova used the pyramid for an Austrian princess in Vienna. After his death, Canova\u2019s pupils copied the design here to honor their master. In fact, Canova isn\u2019t buried here \u2013 he lies in southern Italy. But inside the tomb\u2019s open door, you can barely see an urn, which contains his heart, as if he would want it.<\/p>\n

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Head back toward the altar, halfway up the left wall is Titian\u2019s \u201cMadonna of Ca\u2019 Pesaro\u201d<\/strong> (1519-1526) (p.13). Titian\u2019s second altarpiece for the Frari Church displays all his many skills. Following his teacher Bellini, he puts Mary (seated) and baby (standing) on a throne, surrounded by saints having a holy conversation. And, like Bellini, he paints fake columns that echo the church\u2019s real ones. But wait. Mary is off-center, Titian\u2019s idealized saints mingle with Venetians sporting five o-clock shadows, and the stairs run diagonally away from us. The precious keys of St. Peter seem to dangle unnoticed. These things upset traditional Renaissance symmetry, but they turn a group of figures into a true scene. St. Peter (center, in blue and gold, with book) looks down at Jacopo Pesaro, who kneels to thank the Virgin for his recent naval victory over the Ottomans (1502). A flag-carrying lieutenant drags in a turbaned captive. Meanwhile, St. Francis talks to Baby Jesus while gesturing down to more members of the Pesaro family. The little guy looking out at us (lower right) is the Pesaro descendant who administered the trust fund to keep prayers coming for his dead uncle. Titian combines opposites: a soft-focus Madonna and photo-realist portraits, chubby winged angels with a Muslim prisoner, and a Christian cross with a battle flag. In keeping with the spirit of St. Francis\u2019 humanism, Titian lets mere mortals mingle with saints. And we are right there with them.<\/p>\n

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In the middle of the nave, Baldassere Longhena\u2019s Doge Giovanni Peraso funereal monument<\/strong> (p.15) is hoisted by four burly black-marble figures bursting from ragged white clothes like Invisible Hulks.<\/p>\n

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Exit dei Frari and walk around it to a small campo, home to one of the artistic treasures of Venice \u2013 Scuola Grande di San Rocco<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and Chiesa di San Rocco<\/strong>\u00a0(p. 124 on the map. \u20ac10 entry with audioguide, allow 60 min for the visit, pictures allowed).\u00a0The building was the seat of a confraternity<\/a> established in 1478, named after San Rocco<\/a>, popularly regarded as a protector against plague.\u00a0The members of the \u201cConfraternity of St. Roch\u201d were a group of wealthy Venetian citizens, who chose their site to be next to the church of San Rocco<\/a> which houses the remains of the saint. It is the only brotherhood to have been spared by Napoleonic edicts and has continued its activities without interruptions up till modern times. It now counts about 350 capitular Brothers (women among them) who assemble in a General Council once a year.<\/p>\n

In January 1515 the project of the building was entrusted to Bartolomeo Bon to whom we owe the ground floor. In 1524 his work was continued by Sante Lombardo<\/a>, and after 1527 by Antonio Scarpagnino, who finished the upper part and harmonized the facade with double rows of pillars. \u00a0Following his death in 1549, the\u00a0finishing details were executed by Giangiacomo dei Grigi, completing the construction\u00a0in September 1560.<\/p>\n

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The design was similar to other scuole<\/i> in Venice, characterized by two halls, one at ground floor level, the other at first floor level. The Sala Terra<\/i> (lower) has a nave and two aisles, with the entrance from the campo\u00a0outside. From this hall a stair (with a landing surmounted by a dome) led to the upper floor. The Sala Superiore<\/i> (\u201cUpper Hall\u201d) was used for meetings of the fellows and had a wooden altar. It provided access to the Sala dell\u2019Albergo<\/i>, which housed the Banca<\/i> and the Zonta<\/i> (the confraternity\u2019s supervisory boards). The 50-plus painting in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco \u2013 ofter called \u201cTintoretto\u2019s Sistine Chapel\u201d \u2013 present one man\u2019s very personal vision of Christian history. Tintoretto spent the last 20 years of his life working practically for free, driven by the spirit of charity that the Scuola, a Christian organization, promoted. For Tintoretto fans, this place is the ultimate experience. Even for the art-weary, his large, colorful canvases, framed in gold on the walls and ceilings of a grand upper hall, are an impressive sight.<\/p>\n

The art of the Scuola is contained in three rooms \u2013 the Ground Floor Hall (where you enter) and two rooms upstairs, including the Great Upper Hall, with the biggest canvas. Enter the ground floor, which is lined with big colorful Tintoretto canvases and begin with the first canvas on the left.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Annunciation\u201d<\/strong> (a) \u2013 an angel swoops through the doorway, dragging a trail of naked baby angels with him, to tell a startled Mary she\u2019ll give birth to Jesus. This canvas has many of Tintoretto\u2019s typical characteristics:<\/p>\n