Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Dorsoduro
Gallerie dell'Accademia
GALLERY
( 041 520 03 45;
www.gallerieaccademia.org
; Campo della Carità 1050; ticket incl Palazzo Grimani
adult/reduced €14/11;
8.15am-2pm Mon, to 7.15pm Tue-Sun, last admission 45min before closing;
;
Accademia)
Hardly academic, these galleries contain more murderous intrigue, forbid-
den romance and shameless politicking than the most outrageous Venetian parties. The
former Santa Maria della Carità convent complex maintained its serene composure for
centuries, but ever since Napoleon installed his haul of Venetian art trophies in 1807,
there's been nonstop visual drama inside these walls.
Rooms 1-5
To guide you through the ocular onslaught, the gallery layout is loosely or-
ganised by style and theme from the 14th to 18th centuries, though recent restorations and
works on loan have shuffled around some masterpieces. The grand gallery you enter up-
stairs features vivid early works that show Venice's precocious flair for colour and drama.
Case in point: Jacobello Alberegno's late-14th-century
Apocalypse
(Room 1) shows the
whore of Babylon riding a Hydra, babbling rivers of blood from her mouth.
Rooms 6-10
Venice's Renaissance awaits around the corner in Room 6, featuring Titian
and Tintoretto. Tintoretto's
Creation of the Animals
is a fantastical bestiary suggesting
God put forth his best efforts inventing Venetian seafood (no argument here). Tintoretto's
1562
St Mark Saving a Saracen from Shipwreck
is an action-packed blockbuster, with
fearless Venetian merchants and an improbably muscular, long-armed saint rescuing a
turbaned sailor. Artistic triumph over censorship dominates Room 10: Paolo Veronese's
freshly restored
Feast in the House of Levi
, originally called
Last Supper
until Inquisition
leaders condemned him for showing dogs, drunkards, dwarves, Muslims and
Reformation-minded Germans cavorting with Apostles. He refused to change a thing, be-
sides the title.
Rooms 11-19
As you enter Room 11, you'll notice a lighter baroque touch: gossipy Vene-
tian socialites hang over balconies in 1743-45 lunettes by Tiepolo. These charming ceil-
ing details originally hung in the Scalzi Church, and were narrowly salvaged after 1915
Austrian bombings.
Rooms 12-18
These rooms are currently undergoing restoration to showcase Canaletto's
sweeping views of Venice and Giorgione's highly charged
La Tempesta
(The Storm).
Restored portrait galleries will feature larger-than-life Venetian characters: Lorenzo
