Santi Giovani e Pauli
The original plan was to take a vaporetto trip to explore Torcello and Burano. However, when we reached the stop at the Fondamente Nuova, we found that next boat was scheduled to leave in 90 minutes. Then we discovered that there was a one-day strike and only a minimum service was in operation. We decided, obviously enough, to abandon the plan, and retired to a cafe to ponder.
Quite by chance, we found ourselves in the Campo Santa Maria Nova noticing the beautiful marble west end of a church partly visible across a canal. "Hang about, isn't that Santa Maria dei Miracoli?" we chorused.
It was. Our favourite church from our previous visits and the favourite also of many well-qualified observers of Venice, for example James Morris.
So we decided to embark on a route through some of Venice's other fine churches. We backtracked a little first to see Santi Giovanni e Paolo (known in the Venetian dialect as San Zanipolo). This, along with the Frari, which we saw on yesterday's walk from Santo Stefano to San Giacomo dell' Oro is one of the major Gothic churches of Venice. It was built by the Dominican order between 1246 and 1430.
To its left, at right angles to it, is the former Scuola Grande di San Marco, a magnificent Renaissance building with a marble-clad facade with some extraordinary false-perspective marble panels. It now houses the main hospital. Only in Venice!
From here we returned to Santa Maria dei Miracoli, to see the east end ...
.. and again visit the exquisite interior, which is also covered in marble. The church dates from 1481-89.
Now we strolled through the Canaregio sestiere (we started in Castello) to reach the Campo Santi Apostoli and the church of the same name. It doesn't look much, but is one of the oldest in Venice.
We now headed north, towards the Fondamenta Nuove again, passing on the way the rather decrepit Palazzo Zen, once the home of a famous family of merchant adventurers. Possibly, it was also the inspiration for Michael Dibden's detective Aurelio Zen. The facade apparently once had frescoes by Tintoretto, but no trace of them remains.
We reached the Fondamenta Nuova, turned west along it, then walked inland again parallel to the Canale di Misericordia, which we crossed to reach the red brick Scuola Nuova della Misericordia. It was originally built in 1310, but what you see today dates from the 15th century. The other building is the 17th century Palazzo Lezze.
We headed north again to again reach the northern edge of Venice by the lagoon. The glass-producing island of Murano (to the left) and the cemetery island of San Michele (to the right) could be seen beyond a marina.
A bit further on we spotted this fine palace with an intriguing relief of a camel on the right of its facade. This it turns out is the Palazzo Mastelli, known, perhaps inevitably, as Camel Palace, the home of a family of 12th century traders.
The next landmark was the beautiful church of Madonna dell'Oro, originally built in the 14th century, but modified in the 15th. Jacopo Tintoretto is buried here.
Just a short distance away is his birthplace - the tall building in the photo.
By now it was lunch time and we found a nice restaurant on a wide fondamenta (a path by a canal). We had really already done what we had set out to do, but there was still the question of getting home, so we extended our walk through the Ghetto, coming first to the church of San Alvise. This dates from 1388, but inside has 18th century frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo.
The Venetian Ghetto, the prototype for all others, was established in 1516 and remained until Napoleon took over in 1797. All Jews were required to live here. It is said that the name ghetto derives from the existence of cannon foundries in the area or from an iron chain used to mark the boundary.
A key feature of the Venice Ghetto was that its area was fixed, but the population kept rising. So the only way of coping was to build upwards. The resulting tall buildings give the Ghetto its unique character in Venice, as the photo illustrates.
You leave the Ghetto to emerge onto a broad fondamenta beside the Canale di Cannaregio and soon reach the Ponti dei Tre Archi 1688 - the only one of Venice's 400 odd bridges to have three arches. It was originally built without parapets.
There was a nice view back along the wide canal.
From here, it was a short walk back to the Grand Canal where we caught a vaporetto to Sant' Angelo, the stop nearest our hotel.
Conditions: sunny, hot.
Distance: about 6 miles.
Rating: four stars.
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