Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Architecture
Lulls in Venetian happy-hour conversation are easily resolved with one innocent ques-
tion: so what is Venetian architecture? Everyone has a pet period in Venice's
chequered architectural history, and hardly anyone agrees which is Venice's defining
moment. Ruskin waxed rhapsodic about Venetian Gothic and detested Palladio; Pal-
ladians rebuffed baroque; fans of regal rococo were scandalised by the Lido's louche
Liberty (Italian art nouveau); and pretty much everyone was horrified by the inclina-
tions of industry to strip Venice of all ornamentation. Now that the latest architectural
trend is creative repurposing, it's all making a comeback.
More than 1000 years of architectural history are covered on the short trip down the Grand Canal, lined
with 200 palaces that range from Venetian Gothic with Moorish lourishes (the Ca' d'Oro) to postmodern
neoclassical (Palazzo Grassi).
