The next three days I explored Venice and Padua. It was really hard to choose what to do in Venice but I prebooked some things to avoid wasting time standing in line.
I took the local train to Venice and was able to take the Canal Grande tour right away with the vaporetti, the ships that go along the canal. It was very crowded on them and lots of different boats were on the canal. I still always managed to get a spot outside to take lots of photos. To see the palaces alongside the canal in all different times of day and light was interesting.
I decided to do the “touristic” things a first-timer to Venice does first. That meant that I took the boat to Piazza St. Marco. I wound my way through the crowds to get to the Doge palace. The staircase up to the chambers was breathtaking (Scala d’Oro). It is all embellished with gilded stucco by Alessandro Victoria.
Ceiling above Scala d'Oro
One went to one room after another admiring the opulence and the craftmanship of famous painters like Tintoretto and Veronese. The details were fascinating but the unity of the whole with the ceilings, floors and walls was intriguing. One leaves a bit dazzled only to be overwhelmed by the next grand display of power: the Basilica of St. Marco. The light fell into some areas and made the mosaics sparkle. The Ascension dome occupied my attention the most. Unique is the Pala D’Oro, over the tomb of St. Marco. It is made of miniature scenes in enamel and said to be decorated with 1401 jewels. I was glad to have had my binoculars with me to really study the details. (Our art history teacher told us to bring those along on art trips.)
After this long sightseeing I took a break and ate a pasta dish with mushrooms and had one of those good coffees (I have gotten used to these strong ones again!). The afternoon I took the boat again in order to get some detail photos of the palaces along the canal. At three I was at the Academia Art Gallery since I wanted to see some of the paintings we discussed in my art history classes. One of them was the Tempest by Giorgione and Veronese’s Feast in the House of Levi. When I got out again the evening light was very fine, and I got out of the boat at the famous Rialto bridge and strolled through some of the small streets around there, taking bridges across smaller canals and some photos of reflections.
The next day I decided to get off the boat at the St. Thoma station and walk to the huge Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari with famous paintings by Titian and Bellini. Titian’s The Assumption of the Virgin towers high above the altar and Bellini’s Madonna enthroned with Saints is an intimate affair in its side chapel. What beautiful colors both paintings had! In the neighborhood was the Scuola di San Rocco with huge paintings by Tintoretto in one great and two smaller halls. They were all very moving—I especially liked the use of light in Christ before Pilate and the composition in the Adoration of the Shepherds.
Then I had prebooked a Three Island Tour to Murano, Burano and Torcello. It was burning hot at the quai so the fresh air on the boat in the lagoon was great and I enjoyed taking photos from the boat, The first stop was Murano where the famous glass comes from. We saw a glassblower at work but it was so crowded I did not get to see much. I took some other photos instead, of glassrods and the half closed oven.
Glass Rods in Murano
The next stop at Burano was more exciting—the colored houses were bathed in afternoon light and I took a whole series of reflections. We only had about 30 Minutes at each island so it was a bit rushed. At the last stop, in Torcello, we saw an old church with fantastic mosaics.
Burano
It had been two wonderful days in Venice.
The next day I went to Padua on a more leisurely pace. My main goal was to see the Srovegni Chapel with Giotto’s frescoes. This place we had discussed in depth in our art history class and I had copied an angel in fresco style. It was very moving to see it in real as well as the other frescoes. It felt like a pilgrimage. I was lucky to get in twice because there was an empty slot to go in again (one has to book in advance to get 15 minute slots )so I could see things I had missed the first time! I then splurged and had lunch at the famous Pedrocchi cafe and found out that the Baptistry also had fabulous frescoes by Giusto de Menabuoi (c, 1376)—the whole place was covered with them. A glance at Donatello’s Gattamelata and then I went home.
I had a great dinner feast out in the countryside with Bettina and Riccardo, sitting outside.
Cafe Pedrocchi
The last day I took the train to Milan and stored my luggage. I wanted to see some paintings at the Breva gallery which I enjoyed,
What a wonderful trip!!!
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