Saturday, December 17, 2011

A Memorable Legacy

Tintoretto
Mesmerizing, mystical and magical, Venice as unique as its ambience displays a magnificent collection of amazing architecture. The captivating Ca’ d’ Oro, is structured in the Gothic style showcasing the Galleria Franchetti whose amazing collection of tapestries, bronzes and paintings display the style of the 15th and 16th centuries with many works by Titian. A panoramic view greets the eye from the balconies on the first and second floors overlooking the Grand Canal. Venetian depictions of St. Bartholomew as a polytych along with Tuscan art, frescoes, with works by Tintoretto, Titian, Carpaccio, Mantegna, Vivarini, Signorelli and van Eyck are displayed in profusion.

Venetian art as a brilliant vibrant collection portrays the artistic penchant of its talented artists and artisans. The Gallerie dell'Accademia illustrates Venetian art from the 14th century to the 18th century with Paolo Veneziano’s Madonna and Child with Two Donors, the Coronation of Mary and Carpaccio’s altar piece Crucifixion and Apotheosis. Famous artists such as Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione Lorenzo Lotto, Canaletto, Guardi and Pietro Longhi bring alive an array of landscapes, portraits and depictions with fine detail and extravagant style.
Doge’s PalaceVenice takes you on a guided tour of Palazzo Ducale, The Doge’s palace with its Gothic architecture with pink Veronese marble and white Istrian stone facing the canals and the Piazzetta San Marco. Grand with state rooms, the palace has innumerable corridors which lead to the Bridge of Sighs leading out through the gloriously beautiful Gothic Porta della Carta.
Chiesa di San Giacomo di RialtoGoing into the heart of Venice, the Ponte di Rialto leads the way into the famous fruit and vegetable market with stalls selling souvenirs for tourists. Pescaria though only 100 years old, has the tradition that goes back to the year 1300, of selling fresh fish. Venice’s oldest church, the Chiesa di San Giacomo di Rialto was founded on the same day as Venice, on 25 March 421. As divine as Venice, its architecture is regarded as a treasure trove displaying Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari built by the Franciscans with Bellini’s appealing sacristy altar piece and Titian’s Assumption altar painting.
San Giorgio MaggioreDecorated with infinite care, St Mark’s Basilica stands majestic and splendid arrayed in precious plundered treasures with an altar piece of gold, enamel and jewels with a 12th century marble pavement and a sacred thorn from the Tesoro, of a thorn from the crown worn by Christ. St Mark’s Square was called by Napoleon as the finest drawing room in Europe with its mystical aura of being covered by water during high tide.
San Marco’s bell tower overlooks a scenic panorama of the canals, the bridges, the lagoon, and the islands and, in clear weather - even the Alps. The bell tower of San Giorgio Maggiore offers another perspective of Venezia equally appealing and beautiful. The Piazza San Marco also contributes a divine view of Venezia with her colorful aura and marvelous architecture. The Palazzo Ducale and San Marco can be enjoyed from Punta Dogana at the end of the Canal Grande. The Loggia de Cavalli located in San Marco’s Basilica leads to a flight of stairs to the museum and a gallery with a great view of the interior of the church, with the outer gallery with its famous pair of horses, looks into the piazza.