We didn’t really start out today until after lunch, as Paul slept late and wanted to spend time with his email which was getting out of hand, and I did my Zoom Pilates class so that made me quite late too. It was an odd sort of day, because it was very cold in the flat, and the forecast was for rain all day, so we went out in coats and raincoats, only to find it was sunny and warm and the coats and raincoats needed to be taken off and consigned to the rucksack.
We decided to look at some churches today, starting with San Giorgio Maggiore, which is on a little island of the same name. The view from the water is one of the most photographed and painted images of Venice, so I took further photographs, this time from the number 2 boat which we had caught - it’s the only boat that stops there.
It’s another church designed by Palladio and was completed in 1576; this is the side view, showing the campanile, which you can go up by lift. Paul declined to do this, though I believe there are wonderful views over Venice. At the front, the facade of white marble looks to have been recently cleaned, because it shines brilliantly in the sun - and there was fortunately plenty of sun today. I wished I had a hat and sunglasses.
The interior is very bright and spacious, with massive columns, typically Palladian as they are modelled on the classical style of Ancient Rome.
The major works in the church are 3 late Tintorettos, two on the chancel wall behind the altar. They aren’t easy to photograph, as you can only get to the side of them. This is the one I preferred.
It’s called The Gathering of the Manna. The other one, opposite it, is The Last Supper. There’s also his very last work, The Deposition, in a side chapel. Tintoretto died while painting it and it was finished by his son. I’m not a great fan of Tintoretto anyway, but I didn’t like that one at all, though I did photograph it.
There seemed to be a long wait for a boat back to where we had started, so instead we took the first thing that came along, which was the number 2 back along the Giudecca canal again, repeating yesterday’s trips. It was a gloriously sunny day though, so we enjoyed the views. I was able to get a much better photo of both of yesterday’s churches since I was sitting by a window on the best side of the boat. This is a much better view of the Redentore church.
These churches are much better photographed from the water.
As we approached the Zattere stop, I also managed a much better photo of the Gesuati church.
We continued on round to the railway station where we changed boat to the number 1 for the long slow trip down the Grand Canal. Because it’s slow and there are so many stops, we had ample opportunity to appreciate the lovely views. Some of my photos were spoiled by reflections in the window, but there were beautiful views of the palazzos and the little canals between some of them, with small wooden bridges across them.
This view is quite typical, and you can see the little wooden bridge is quite busy with the people crossing it.
It was a disappointment to see, as we approached Santa Maria della Salute that the church was covered with scaffolding and the facade was hidden behind painted canvas, so there are no photos. I imagine it is being cleaned so that it will be gleaming white like San Giorgio Maggiore. It seemed a shame not to have a photo of the dome of Salute which has become such an emblem of the city and has been much painted and photographed.
The huge baroque church was built in thanksgiving for the deliverance of the city from plague in 1630, hence the name ‘Salute’ which means both health and salvation.
The interior is a huge octagonal space, with eight side chapels.
The main altar’s sculptural group represents the Virgin and Child protecting Venice from the plague. It houses a Byzantine icon from the 12th or 13th century which came from Heraklion (then called Candia) in Crete after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
Some of the best works in the church are by Titan but they are behind the altar where visitors are not allowed. Another painting by Titan, The Descent of the Holy Ghost, is in one of the side chapels but I’m afraid I didn’t like it. There’s another one by Titian in the sacristy, along with a famous Tintoretto, The Wedding at Cana. However, the sacristy isn’t open very often, and it wasn’t open today, so there was no chance of seeing either. I seem to remember that, on a previous visit to Venice, I went to Salute 3 times before I was able to get into the sacristy!
It was closing time and we were practically the last people out of the church. Fortunately, there wasn’t long to wait before we could take the boat back to Arsenale. The sun was still shining and we appreciated the wonderful views. Lots of people were out in gondolas also appreciating the sunshine. It’s just as well to do it today, rain is forecast for tomorrow!
We had beautiful views of the the Campanile, a glimpse of San Marco and the Doge’s palace as we passed.
I also photographed The Hotel Danieli, one of the most celebrated hotels in Europe.
It was built as a palace in the 14th century and became famous as a venue for the first opera performed in Venice, a work by Monteverdi. It became a hotel in 1822, and became popular with the literary and artistic set. Famous guests include Dickens, Ruskin, Proust, Balzac, Debussy and Wagner. George Sand and Alfred de Musset chose it for an orgy, and, when de Musset became ill, George Sand left him and ran off with her doctor.
By the time we reached the Arsenale, the sun had gone in and there was a cold wind, so we hurried back along Via Garibaldi to the flat and cups of hot tea and coffee.
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