The Veronese walk features one of the greatest of the Venetian artists and his magnum opus in the church of Saint Sebastian.  The walk matches well with Barnabotti or Salute in the sestiere of Dorsoduro.  Together, the three walks total 5.5 km – taking in less crowded areas of the city – and feature some excellent vistas.  This walk might also be called the ‘Fondamenta walk’, as much of it follows this Venetian type of street.

We commence just around the corner from the Accademia, and the first point of interest (Palazzo Basadonna-Giustinian-Priuli) is right near the bridge at the start.  The building was designed by the leading architect of the era – Baldassare Longhena – and has been converted to a school.  Longhena’s handiwork featured in the other two walks in Dorsoduro, Ca’ Rezzonico and the Salute.  This palazzo was built in the 17^th century and restored in 1983.

Just a little further along the fondamenta there is a good place to stop for an ombra and cicheti – Cantine del Vino gia Schiavi (depending on when you are walking).  Adjacent is Palazzo Nani (POI #3, No. 960).  Originally named Palazzo Barbarigo dei Dogi because it was said to be the birthplace of two Doges (Marco 1485-86; and Agostino 1486-1501).  The famous clock tower in St Mark’s square was erected during Agostino’s time (visit the link above for further details of significant historical events for the city during his tenure).

There is a diversion across the bridge for a look at some curious (and ancient) architectural decorations (these can also be admired on the visit to POI #6, the church of San Trovaso).  Situated across the canal from Cantine del Vino gia Schiavi is Ca’ Brass (former home of Italico Brass a painter, set designer and art collector, active in the early 20^th century).  Set into the façade you might first notice decorative paterae featuring flora and fauna of different kinds.  Further around, on the entrance side that is adjacent to the church, there are two reliefs of interest and a scary mascerone.  Near the corner on the canal side is a ‘homo silvanus’ with a body covered with hair and a large club next to it.  This is a mythological ‘forest man’ linked to Silvanus the Roman god of the forests, one of the sons of Saturn.  There is another similar figure embedded in the niche of a building in Cannaregio (Walk #15, POI #14).

The relief on the left façade of the building (church-side) dates back to the 16^th or 17^th century and features Vulcan and Cupid in a forge.  The association here seems odd, but Vulcan was Venus’s husband and father of Cupid.  Finally, the masceron over the door; these were used to ward off evil spirits and feature in many places around the city (if you came from the church-side of the building, you would have seen a menacing one of these at the bell tower door).  The most famous (and ugliest) of these features is at the church of Santa Maria Formosa in Castello (Walk #10, POI #3).

Back onto Fondamenta Priuli (which become Fondamenta Nani), just before you reach the wide Giudecca Canal, on the right you will see a gondola building and maintenance yard known as a ‘Squero’.  There has been a boatyard here since the 17^th century, but this business was founded in 1884 by Domenico Tramontin and remains in the family hands.  A visit to the facility can be booked here.

The church of dei Santi Gervasio e Protasio is known as San Trovaso.  Being amongst the oldest churches in Venice, it was originally thought to have been established in the 9th century and is documented as far back as 1084.  The present building dates to 1584 to what is thought to be a design by Francesco Smeraldi, a pupil of Andrea Palladio.  There was significant restoration (especially to the altars) in the 19th century.  Inside, there are six chapels along the nave.  There are some significant works from the masters in this church, including four by Tintoretto, two of which were moved here from the Santa Maria Maggiore church in Santa Croce.  Look for the fine ‘Madonna in Glory’ by Palma Giovane and Tintoretto’s ‘Temptations of St Anthony Abbot’.

If it is a warm day, you might find a worthwhile diversion for lunch at Locanda Montin (not marked on the printed maps).  There is a lovely garden at the back of this hotel and it is in an out-of-the-way place, away from the tourist throng, like many parts of Dorsoduro.  It is only open for lunch on certain days (follow the link above) and is closed through the winter months.

If you missed Locanda Montin and are on the left side of Rio de le Ermite, you will soon encounter the church of Le Ermite (POI #7) which was built in 1694 for observant Augustinian nuns and dedicated to Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  The complex was suppressed in 1810, at which time 38 nuns were resident.  Canossian nuns moved here in 1863 and they remain there to this day.  The complex has been used for various purposes over time including as a school, and now as student and tourist accommodation.  Restoration work described as ‘stabilising and consolidating the altars’ took place in the 1990s.  There was also restoration carried out on paintings in the church including four wall paintings by Francesco Pittoni of The Miracles of St Augustine.  The interior has been described as ‘rich and sumptuous’ in Umberto Franzoi & Dina di Stefano’s (1976) ‘Le Chiesa di Venezia’.  Certain relics are kept in this church, including: a thorn from the Crown of Thorns (on which it is said blood appeared on Good Friday); the hand of Saint Juliana; and several bodies of saints taken from Roman catacombs.  (Source: Churches of Venice website).

To avoid doubling back, and for a useful diversion to a pair of restaurants worth choosing from for a stop, turn right over the bridge near the church and continue along the fondamenta – check out Ristorante La Bitta (right) or Pizzeria Al Profeta (turn left and continue along).  The return leg will bring you back along Rio Tera Ognissanti and the church of the same name.

The church and convent of Ognissanti was founded by Cistercian nuns in 1472.  The church was rebuilt and enlarged from 1505 to 1520 and consecrated in 1586.  The complex was suppressed by the French in 1806.  The buildings served various purposes in the following decades including a girl’s school, an old people’s home and a hospital until the mid-1990s.  It is now part of the University Ca’Foscari.

Continuing along the fondamenta, you will pass by several bridges on the left and then cross another, eventually turning right and after another 50 metres, you will arrive at the bridge and the church of San Sebastiano.  The first church on this site was an oratory founded in 1396 by the order of the Hermits of Saint Jerome.  It was replaced with a larger structure in 1455-68 but the building you see today dates back to a design by Scarpagnino begun in 1506 and consecrated in 1562.  The church and the convent next door were suppressed in 1810 by Napoleon and the convent was partially demolished before being rebuilt in 1856.  It now houses the University of Venice’s department of literature and philosophy.  The façade was built in 1548 and is split into two parts bounded by four pairs of Corinthian columns which support a large tympanum (top section).  The statues on the top of the building are Saint Sebastian (in the middle, complete with arrow), Saint Jerome (left) and Saint Catherine of Alexandria (right).  This was the local parish church of Paolo Veronese, one of the great masters of Venetian art in the late Renaissance.  He is buried here, and almost all of the artworks you see inside are his.  There is also a Titian inside of Saint Nicholas.  The church is a ‘must-see’ destination for art lovers and is special for several reasons: the quality and consistency in the theme of the paintings; the seamless blend of art and architecture; and the fact that the art is seen in its original context (a different experience than that of trudging through a gallery – something that is much easier to experience in Venice than in many other cities of the world).

A quick diversion from the path marked on the map as you pass ‘way point’ 2 (WP2) on the left behind the church is a pretty vera da pozzo dated 1349.  Returning to the ‘trail’, you will soon reach San Angelo Raffaele.  The church of Angelo Raffaele is said to be one of the oldest in Venice but the building you can see today dates from a design by Francesco Contin in 1618 which was then rebuilt in 1735.  The church once housed the altar of the confraternity of ferrymen, followers of Madonna and Archangel Raphael, established in 1508.  Note the statue group of Tobias, Raphael, the dog and the fish (symbolic of Christ) on the façade.  This is one of only two churches in Venice that are free standing, i.e., you can walk all around them (Churches of Venice).  The artworks inside feature Palma Giovane and Gianantonio Guardi (the view painter Francesco’s older brother).  Guardi’s works feature scenes from the life of Tobias (c.1750).

Just after the church of Angelo Raffaele over the bridge, carry on and you will see on the left at the junction of two canals, Palazzo Ariani Cicogna (No. 2376, POI #13).  This is a beautiful example of a Gothic palazzo, and a reminder that even in hidden corners of the city, architectural gems await!  Note the elaborate patterns formed with the stone around tops of the windows interlocking with the pointed arches (aka ‘tracery’), which will likely remind you of the Doge’s Palace.  The building dates back to the mid-14^th century and was later converted into a school.

Moving on and switching to the fondamenta on the other side of the canal, at the bridge you will find the Oratorio del Soccorso (No. 2585-87, POI #15).  The institution was set up around 1580 by the famous courtesan, philanthropist and poet Veronica Franco (1546-1591) as a hospice for former prostitutes.  Just beyond this is Ca’ Zenobio which was constructed in 1690 and became the home of the College of the Armenian in 1850.  Access to this palazzo and its pretty gardens at the rear depend on what exhibitions are taking place.  If you are able to go in, look for the ‘hall of mirrors’.  Almost opposite on the other side of the canal is Ca’ Foscari-Palazzina Briati (POI #16), which now houses some offices and classrooms of the university.  The large column in the front garden with the lion on top (added in the 19^th century) is from the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in Greece and dates back to around 440 BC (you will need to double back over the canal for a closer look).

Moving on, you will soon arrive at Santa Maria Carmini (POI #17).  The original name of the church was Maria Vergine Assunta and it was established by the Carmelites who had been in Venice since 1268.  The present building was consecrated in 1348.  The church was rebuilt in the 16^th century and given a new façade in 1507.  There is an interesting collection of architectural fragments around the entrance at the left side of the church building dating back as far as the Byzantine era.  The statues at the top of the façade are of (from the top): the Redeemer; the Annunciation; Elijah; and Elisha.  The last two of these are considered the founders of the Carmelite order.  The Madonna and child over the entrance dates back to the 14^th century.  The church interior has a vaulted ceiling and a nave with two aisles, and a double row of 11 columns.  It is richly textured with structures of stone, wood and gilding, along with sculptures and paintings.  On the inside of the façade (‘counter-façade’) there is a grand funerary monument to Jacopo Foscarini.  There are numerous works by various artists, amongst them: Jacopo Tintoretto, Palma Giovane, Cima da Conegliano, Sebastiano Ricci and Lorenzo Lotto.  Look for Lorenzo Lotto’s fine ‘St Nicolas in Glory between St John the Baptist and St Lucy’.  There is also a charming cloister belonging to this church, with a vera da pozzo dated 1762.

This walk has been somewhat of a feast of art, and the final stop – the Scuola Grande dei Carmini – is yet another treasure (POI #18).  The Scuola has clear links to the church of Carmini and was a charitable institution first established in 1597.  The members of the early scuola made the scapulars, two pieces of woven cloth worn for monastic reasons by members of the Carmelite order, or as a devotional item by lay people.  It became one of seven ‘Scuole Grande’ in 1767 (the last to be designated as such).  The building was designed by Francesco Caustello (1627-38), and the façade by Baldassare Longhena (1668-70). The various rooms of the Scuole have different themes and were created to facilitate the functions of the Scuole.  They have been preserved intact, thus it is possible to see the original antique furnishings, oil paintings, rich stucco ceilings and the original carved wood.  The highlight is without a doubt the many works of Giambattista Tiepolo on display here – in particular, the ceiling of the Chapter House.  Here, the scapular features clearly in several of Tiepolo’s paintings, as do the female figures, no doubt due to their prominent role in the establishment of the Scuole.  There are other works of great merit by artists including both Giacomo and Giambattista Piazzetta (father and son), Niccolo Bambini, and Santo Piatti.  (Further information: Images of Venice).

This brings the walk to a close.  You are now close by to Campo Santa Margherita which is part of the Barnabotti walk (#13) and a good place to stop and relax.