Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Cursed Palace
Next door to Palazzo Vernier dei Leoni is one of Venice's most gossiped-
about buildings, the
Palazzo Dario.
Believed to be cursed, it is also con-
sidered the city's most haunted abode. Gabriele D'Annunzio, who lived
across the Grand Canal, described it as “a decrepit courtesan, bowed
beneath the pomp of her baubles.” Ca' Dario was built in 1486 by Giovanni
Dario; it supposedly brings outrageously bad luck to anyone who lives
there, tragedy often spilling over into murder and suicide. As recently as
1992, the curse apparently moved the owner to shoot himself. Woody
Allen, who loves the city, was apparently considering purchasing the
empty-standing property until he heard of its mysterious reputation and
abandoned his plan.
styles tend to have on the viewer. There are also several rooms dedicated to Italian
innovators, like the Futurist Gino Severini and little-known Mario Sironi.
An excellent audioguide is available for
€
5; it's narrated by the gallery's direc-
tor and forcefully presents details that bring the works and their relationship
to Ms. Guggenheim to life. Better still, try to join one of the
free guided tours
(
%
041-2405440401
) presented from time to time.
There's an attractive art and gift shop attached to the Guggenheim, well worth
a visit (see “Shopping in Venice,” later in this chapter).
Gallerie dell' Accademia: A Venice Highlight
You can take a
vaporetto
directly to the
Gallerie dell'Accademia (Accademia
Gallery)
(Campo della Carità, Dorsoduro 1050;
%
041-5222247; www.
gallerieaccademia.org;
€
6.50 entrance, or
€
11 for a 3-museum pass; Tues-Sun
8:15am-7:15pm, Mon 8:15am-2pm),
getting off at the second-to-last stop before
the Grand Canal spills out into the lagoon. Alternatively, experience the buzz of
congested tourist crowds by walking the well-worn route “straight” from Piazza
San Marco through Campo San Stefano (look out for Venice's very own leaning
tower—the campanile of Santo Stefano church), and eventually crossing the
Accademia bridge, arriving just a few steps short of the Gallery.
Ironically, the world has Napoleon to thank for this splendid collection of
Venetian art; the impressive display was moved here in 1807, when Bonaparte
closed down the church and took over the oldest of the city's six Scuole Grande
(confraternity halls), packing the building with a formidable inventory of artistic
plunder from churches around the city. A detailed study of the works—displayed
more or less in chronological order—gives great insight into those qualities that
define various stylistic epochs, from the 13th through 18th centuries.
Passing through the automated turnstile on the first floor, your visit starts in a
vast gallery where the brothers of the Scuole met under the intricate ceiling
painted by Marco Cozzi in the 15th century; look carefully at the proliferation of
panels featuring eight-winged angels, and you'll see that each of their faces differs
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