Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
1
Ca' Rezzonico
MUSEUM
Baroque dreams come true at Baldassare Longhena's palace, where a marble stair-
case leads to gilded ballrooms, frescoed salons and sumptuous boudoirs. Giambat-
tista Tiepolo's Throne Room ceiling is a masterpiece of elegant social climbing:
Merit ascends to the Temple of Glory with the Golden Book of Venetian nobles'
names - including Tiepolo's patrons, the Rezzonico family.
(Museum of the 18th Cen-
tury; 041 241 01 00;
www.visitmuve.it
; Fondamenta Rezzonico 3136; adult/reduced €8/5.50, or Mu-
seum Pass;
10am-6pm Wed-Mon Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar;
Ca' Rezzonico)
Top Tip
Salute Vespers
If you think Longhena's dome looks magnificent, wait until you hear how it sounds.
Weekdays at 3.30pm, vespers are played on Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute's ori-
ginal 1782-83 organ. These musical interludes are free, and the acoustics are suitably
heavenly.
2
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
CHURCH
Commissioned by Venice's plague survivors as thanks for salvation, Baldassare
Longhena's uplifting design is an engineering feat that defies simple logic; in fact,
the church is said to have mystical curative properties. Titian eluded the plague
until age 90, leaving a legacy of masterpieces now in Salute's sacristy.
(La Salute;
