Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 041 522 78 27; Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore; bell tower adult/reduced €3/2; 9am-12.30pm &
2.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat May-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Apr; San Giorgio Maggiore)
Solar eclipses are only
marginally more dazzling than Palladio's white Istrian marble facade. Begun in the 1560s,
it owes more to ancient Roman temples than the baroque of Palladio's day. Inside, ceilings
billow over a generous nave, with high windows distributing filtered sunshine. Two of
Tintoretto's masterworks flank the altar, and a lift whisks visitors up the 60m-high
bell
tower
for stirring Ventian panoramas - a great alternative to long lines at San Marco's
campanile.
Behind the church, a defunct naval academy has been converted into a shipshape gal-
Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore; adult/reduced €10/8; guided tours in English & French 11am, 1pm, 3pm
& 5pm Sat & Sun, in Italian 10am, noon, 2pm & 4pm Sat & Sun; San Giorgio Maggiore)
. After es-
caping the Dachau internment camp with his son Giorgio, Vittorio Cini returned to Venice
on a mission to save San Giorgio Maggiore, which was a ramshackle mess in 1949. Cini's
foundation restored the island into a cultural centre. In addition to its permanent collection
of Old Masters and modern art, the gallery hosts important contemporary works, from
Peter Greenaway to Anish Kapoor.
TOP OF CHAPTER
1
The Lido
Only 15 minutes by
vaporetto
1, 51, 52, 61, 62, 82 or N from San Marco, the Lido has
been the beach and bastion of Venice for centuries. In the 19th century it found a new
lease of life as a glamorous bathing resort, attracting monied Europeans to its grand
Liberty-style hotels. Thomas Mann's novel
Death in Venice
was set here, and you'll spot
plenty of ornate villas that date from those decadent days. Walking itineraries around the
most extravagant are available to download at
www2.comune.venezia.it/lidoliberty
.
Lido beaches, such as the Blue Moon complex, line the southern, seaward side of the
island and are easily accessed from the
vaporetto
down the Gran Viale. To head further
afield, hire a bike from
Lido on Bike
( 041 526 80 19;
www.lidoonbike.it
;
Gran Viale 21b; bikes
per 90min/day €5/9; 9am-7pm mid-Mar-Oct; Lido)
and cycle south across the Ponte di
Borgo to tiny
Malamocco
, a miniature version of Venice right down to the lions of St Mark
on medieval facades.
