The Salute walk is a good leg-stretcher, which has some excellent vistas across to both the Grand Canal and Giudecca.  The Gallerie dell’Accademia, Galleria di Palazzo Cini, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana are connected in a ‘Dorsoduro Museum Mile’, a unique cultural itinerary showcasing eight centuries of art.  The trail connects eight museums on a mile long path in the Dorsoduro district, between the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal.  Check out masterpieces of Venetian painting from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in the Accademia, and the most recent contemporary productions on display at the Punta della Dogana.  On the way, take in the former homes of great patrons of the arts such as Vittorio Cini and Peggy Guggenheim and view their outstanding collections.

The walk starts and finishes in the same place, at the bottom of the Accademia bridge on the Dorsoduro side (a perfect spot from which to proceed into the Gallery).  There is insufficient space here – and many others have covered the Accademia in detail – so I have simply added some useful links here: https://www.gallerieaccademia.it/en; Joy of Museums; YouTube video.  In summary, it is a who’s who of Venetian artists from the great to the greatest.  A must see for the art and history lovers.

From the Accademia, head west and just around the corner is the Palazzo Contarini Polignac (POI #2).  This is an important early renaissance building (aka Contarini dal Zaffo).  The marble-covered façade is styled on Tuscan classicism.  The façade was restored from 2004-07.  Two friezes by Domenico Tiepolo (once in the palazzo Correr a Santa Fosca) are in this building, as well as stucco decorations on the second floor.  Towards the end of the eighteenth century, the residence was sold to Domenico Manzoni, a silk merchant, and in the early twentieth century, after changing hands several times, the palace was bought by the Princesse de Polignac (Winnaretta Singer).  The Princesse was not only a connoisseur and patron of the arts, but also a painter and musician herself.  She enjoyed the friendship of Sargent and Picasso, and her salon on the Grand Canal was every bit a match for the most celebrated European salons of the day.  Ethel Smyth and Igor Stravinsky were among the guests of the Princesse at the Palazzo. Source: Palazzo website.  The venue now hosts exhibitions and events.

Just 60 metres further on is the Palazzo Cini (POI #4), opened as an art gallery in 1984. It contains a significant part of the art collection of industrialist and philanthropist Vittorio Cini (1885–1977).  The Gallery has two floors: the first recreates the charm of the patron’s residence while the second hosts exhibitions and cultural events.  The collection includes 13th-16th century Tuscan paintings, sculptures and art objects, such as enamelled copper items, a group of Gothic ivories and the Cozzi porcelain table service laid out in the Neo-Rococo oval room.  In 1989 a collection of Ferrarese Renaissance paintings were added to the initial collection, a bequest of the Ylda Cini Guglielmi di Vulci heirs.

From 1956 to 1958, architect Tommaso Buzzi – a key figure for a large clientele of aristocratic patrons wishing to modernise their private homes – was asked to design the interiors of the Cini residence in Venice.  His two most significant contributions are part of the museum: the oval spiral stairway and the neo-Rococo oval dining room.  Source:  https://www.palazzocini.it/en/.  As you leave for the next leg of the journey, while on the bridge, look right and smile for the webcam – it is located on the American Dinesen Hotel about 30 metres along on the other side of Rio San Vio.

On the other side of the bridge there is a cluster of points of interest.  POI #5 is Saint George’s, one of the few non-Catholic churches in the city.  The building was converted from a warehouse and bought by Sir Henry Layard who donated it to a committee whose purpose was to establish a permanent English Church in Venice.  The church opened in 1892.  It contains the tombstone of Consul Joseph Smith, relocated from the Lido (Consul Smith was an important patron of the arts in the city – he was even Antonio Canaletto’s agent for several years).  There is also a window commemorating Robert Browning who allowed Anglican services to be held in the Ca’ Rezzonico during the time he lived there.  Source: Churches of Venice.  Next, Palazzo Barbarigo is on the right as you approach the Grand Canal, where you will find POI #7, an excellent place to view across to the other side and see a row of palazzi (see the gallery for a graphic of which ones you can see from POI #7).

A little further along you will find POI #9, the Guggenheim Collection.  The Guggenheim is an outstanding gallery complex and a premier venue for those who like ‘modern’ art (designated here as post 1910).  The following is from the Guggenheim website, and the Collection is a must-see on this walk.  The original building that houses the collection has a fascinating story.  The Palazzo Venier dei Leoni was commissioned by the Venier family in 1749 to the architect Lorenzo Boschetti, whose only other known building in Venice is the church of San Barnaba.  However, historical events related to both the family and the city prevented the palazzo to be completed.  Only the first of its originally planned five stories was built.

In July 1949 Peggy Guggenheim purchased the palazzo and the garden behind it and made it her home for the following thirty years.  In the same year she organized an exhibition of contemporary sculpture in the garden.  After some interior remodelling and with the collection finally installed, in 1951 Guggenheim began to open her home and collection to the public – free of charge – three  afternoons a week from Easter to November, and continued to do so until her death in 1979.

Following Guggenheim’s death, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection opened in 1980 under the management of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, to which Guggenheim had given her palazzo and collection during her lifetime.

On display is one of the best collections of post-1910 modern art in Europe.  The dining room displays early Cubist works by artists such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.  Modern sculpture is displayed on the terrace toward the Grand Canal, and the collection includes works by Henry Moore, Alberto Giacometti, and Marino Marini.  Examples of post-war American and European art include works by Jackson Pollock, Francis Bacon, and Mark Rothko.  A separate wing contains Surrealist works by Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, René Magritte, Giorgio De Chirico, and others.  (Sources: https://www.guggenheim-venice.it/; https://www.britannica.com/topic/Guggenheim-Collection).

After leaving the Guggenheim, continue east and in a few steps you will arrive in Campiello Barbaro.  In 1907 Hugh Douglas described the Campiello as ‘a picturesque spot and much frequented by artists’.  Continuing past the rear door of Ca’Dario, proceed along to Campo San Gregorio (POI #11) – note the lovely vera da pozzo in the middle of the campo.  The church of San Gregorio was founded in the 9th century, but the building you see today dates from a mid-15th century rebuild by Antonio di Cremona (between 1445-61) who added the gothic façade and a triple apse which faces onto Rio della Salute at the rear.  The church was suppressed by the French in 1806 and deconsecrated.

Over Ponte de’ l’Abazia we arrive at Campo della Salute.  A previous church and its associated buildings were demolished to make way for the building of the present church, which was established to commemorate Venice’s exit from the plague of 1630, which had claimed 30% of the city’s population.  A competition for the design was held and won by Venetian architect Baldassare Longhena.  The commission occupied much of his working life.  The result was a 17th century equivalent to the Palladio’s Redentore (which commemorated Venice’s exit from the 1575 plague).  Longhena (along with Sansovino and Palladio) is one of a trio of great architects whose legacy can be seen all around the city in both religious and secular building.  Longhena’s competition proposal made it clear about what drove his design (Howard, 2005 p.216):

‘This church, having the mystery of its dedication … to the Blessed Virgin, made me think, with what little talent God has bestowed on me, of building a church in the form of a rotunda, being in the shape of a crown, since it is dedicated to the Virgin’

Since the church was the destination of a significant procession (the Festa della Salute held each year on 21 November since 1631 giving thanks for delivery from the plague), the internal design was to be given special attention.  One of the design conditions was that the high altar be clearly visible from the entrance, and that other altars should come into view as one moved through the church.  From the entrance of the Salute, none of the six nave altars can be seen as each is obstructed by the supporting piers of the dome.  Thus, Longhena’s design allowed new vistas to open up around the spectator in every direction as they proceed through the church (Howard, 2005 p.217-218).

The building we see today has become a symbol of the city and something of an architectural centrepiece.  It is also an exuberant expression of the designs of the Baroque era.  After Longhena’s death in 1682, his pupil Antonio Gaspari completed the work and the church was consecrated in 1687.

The inside of the church is light filled (another condition of the design competition) and lofty.  There are many great artworks to be found and they do need ‘finding’ given the scale and design of the church!  The artworks in this church have mostly been sourced from elsewhere (with the notable exception of the sculptures on the high altar by Juste Le Court).  There are works to be found here by Titian, Tintoretto, Palma Giovane and Giuseppe Porta.  Titian’s works here were not created for the Salute. Rather, in 1656 they were removed from the suppressed Augustinian monastery of Santo Spirito in Isola.  All but one of the paintings is now in the Sacristy which is now used as a picture gallery.  (Sources – see list below ‘Image Credits’).

Continue a little past the Salute to the Pinacoteca Manfrediniana (POI #14).  Built in 1669-71 as a monastery but suppressed by the French in 1810, it later became the Patriarchal Seminary.  Led by Father Moschini, the seminary collected paintings and other works of art removed from the suppressed churches and seminaries of Venice.  These were later augmented by the acquisition of the art collection of Federico Manfredini (1743-1829).  Source: http://www.seminariovenezia.it/cms/pinacoteca/

Now it’s time to head south and over the other side of this area to the Giudecca Canal.  On the way through, have a look at Palazetto Constantini (POI #15), a small Gothic palazzo dating to the early 15^th century.  The arcaded sotoportego with the wooden architrave dates back to the 14^th century.

Once you reach the Guidecca Canal, you will turn right and be on the return leg of this walk.  After several points of interest (including the church of Spirito Santo, which is not open), you will arrive at the Ospedali degli Incurabili (POI #20).  Built around 1522 to cater for syphilis patients (‘incurables’).  It was rebuilt in 1572 by Antonio da Ponte (designer of the Rialto bridge) and centred around a large cloister.  The complex later became an orphanage, and since 2004 it has been re-purposed to house the Accademia di Belle Arti Venezia which is a tertiary art school.  The original art school was established in 1750 with one notable alumnus being Antonio Canova.

Continuing on now to our final leg of the walk along the Giudecca canal a further 200 metres, you will encounter the Gesuati church (POI #23).  Wishing to expand their operations in the city in light of their increasing congregations, the Dominicans purchased the site of the monastery and the church of the Gesuati (the so-called ‘poor Gesuati’, not to be confused with the Jesuits, see Gesuiti on Walk #16).  Designed by Giorgio Massari, construction on the building began in 1725 and it was consecrated in 1743.  The niches on the façade display statues of the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance.  The art highlights inside include works by Tiepolo (look for The Virgin and three Saints (1748), and the ceiling frescoes of the Institution of the Rosary (1739) amongst others), Tintoretto, Piazzatta, and Sebastiano Ricci (look for Saint Pius V and Dominican Saints (1730-33)).

We now proceed north and back towards the Grand Canal.  The Rio Tera Foscarini you are following was once a canal that linked with the Grand Canal but was filled in in 1863.  Along the way there are several points of interest including the church of Sant’Agnese (POI #24) which is now closed but dates back as far as 1081, with rebuilding and restoration in 1105 and then again in the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries.  In the campo, look for the robed figure on the vera da pozzo (dated 1520), thought to represent Sant’Agnese.  Further along is POI #25, Palazzo Pisani.  This palazzo originally belonged to Doge Agostino Barbarigo (1486-1501), who later bequeathed it to Bartolomeo Pisani.

Just a few metres further, on the right you will pass the site of Palazzo Contarini at Nos 880-81.  This was the home of Antonio Foscarini, Venetian Ambassador to England (1611-15).  He was accused of treason during Doge Antonio Priuli’s search for conspirators thought to be sympathetic to the Spanish, who were on the verge of war with Venice.  His friendship with Alethea Howard, Countess of Arundel, an English expatriate, roused suspicion, and he was executed in 1621.  His innocence was later proven, and they reburied Foscarini with full honours.

We are now at the end of Walk #12, but if you are feeling energetic, the start point of Walk #14 is just around the corner!