20 Amazing spaces in Venice that most tourists won’t see
Most visitors to Venice will spend their time taking in iconic sights like St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge, traversing between the two. The Doge’s Palace, the Accademia galleries and that great promenade – the Riva degli Schiavoni are favourites too. Despite the vast number of tourists that visit the city, there are many amazing places in Venice that go unnoticed. They are not far from the iconic sights, yet they are not well-known, but they are worthy of a visit. Here are 20 of them.
1. San Gregorio Abbey
Standing in the shadow of an iconic building – Santa Maria della Salute – means that this little space is often overlooked. Most people walk past it along Calle de l’Abazia without a thought, or they motor by in a vaporetto on the Grand Canal, distracted by stunning palazzi. But the cloister of the San Gregorio Abbey is an amazing space worthy of further attention for many reasons.
After the abbey served as a religious space, it was then turned into tenements which later attracted artists and photographers who wanted to capture everyday scenes of Venetian life (see the galleries below).
The view to the right shows the outside of the abbey from the Grand Canal, then fades to the inside view from the abbey.
John Ruskin wrote in one of his notebooks (1850): ‘It is the loveliest cortile I know in Venice; its capitals consummate in design and execution; and the low wall on which they stand showing remnants of sculpture unique, as far as I know, in such application’. In 1961, guidebook writer Giulio Lorenzetti described the cloister as a ‘corner of haunting beauty’.
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A less considered perspective on the abbey is as an observer looking outwards. Antonio Canaletto chose the vantage point of the balcony on the north-eastern corner of the building from which to paint ‘The Grand Canal with S. Maria della Salute towards the Riva degli Schiavoni’ (1729-30). On the left below is Canaletto’s painting. On the right is a detail from Guardi’s painting of the Salute which incidentally takes in the complete abbey as it once stood.
The original Benedictine monastery was established here in 1160 with the order then transferring here completely in 1214 from Sant’Ilario. The cloister is a good example of 14th century Gothic, but over time it fell into disrepair. It was restored in 1911.
The abbey originally had two cloisters, each of which can be seen in successive overhead views by Jacopo de’ Barbari (in 1500, pre-dating the construction of the Salute) and Giovanni Merlo’s (in 1676, showing us the position of the Salute in relation to the Abbey).
The western portion of the building was demolished in the 19th century, with the building that replaced it (Palazzo Genovese) becoming the Sina Centurion Palace hotel.
The abbey is now privately owned and is sometimes used for art exhibitions, most notably during the Biennale. The gallery below displays some historical images and some recent ones showing how the use of this space has evolved over time.
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Locating the Abbey
Access from my guide maps: Walk #12 ‘Salute’ – between points of interest 11-13.
2. The Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni
The Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni (or loosely, the Dalmatian Guild Hall) is one of hundreds of scuole in Venice. Scuole, or confraternities formed part of the fabric of Venetian life as far back as the 13th century. They mostly carried out secular functions and were governed by the State. Six of the Scuole were designated as ‘Grande’, with members often drawn from wealthy families. A good example is Scuole Grande San Rocco.
The smaller confraternities – Scuole Piccole – served a variety of functions such as trade guilds, for the provision of services, or caring for the poor. For example, the Scuola de Santissimo Crocifisso was formed in 1635 to collect unidentified drowning victims and give them an honourable burial.
A Dalmatian (Schiavoni) colony founded in Venice were given special privileges to moor along the Riva degli Schiavoni as far back as the 13th century and they established a confraternity in 1451. The guild hall was a rebuild of an earlier building that commenced in 1551. The reliefs on the façade are of interest. The ones at the top of Madonna and Child with Saints (mid-14th century) were moved from their original headquarters in the nearby Ospedale di Santa Caterina (at San Giovanni di Malta church nearby). Saint George slaying the Dragon is by Pietro da Salo who was a pupil of Jacopo Sansovino (1551).
Moving inside… there is just something about this space that makes it special. When you are standing there, you get a sense that the artist has only just left the building. Many of the old guildhalls in the city have been closed or re-purposed, stripped of their artworks, or perhaps are not open to the public. Others – like the Scuole Grande San Rocco – retain their original character but are rather grand and full of significant artwork. It has an opulence that feels inaccessible.
The artistic treasure here is the priceless collection of works by Carpaccio. The cycle of Saint George Slaying the Dragon (1502-07) is the best known. The opening action draws the eye with its graphic violence. Pause to take in some of the rather macabre details in the foreground and the King’s daughter praying in the background. In a subsequent scene, the victor displays the subdued dragon while the horses of Saint George and the Princess are getting along famously in the background. Finally, the city converts to Christianity, being thankful for their salvation from the beast. There is also Saint Augustine in his Study (c.1502), a painting that reflects a contemporary interior of that time and again one of his works that requires time to take in the details.
The Images of Venice website has a helpful step-by-step guide to the works inside. The Scuola’s website has a virtual tour. Beyond the Carpaccio scholarship in the literature, there is also the very accessible Ciao, Carpaccio! An Infatuation by Jan Morris (2014) which explains much of the symbolism in Carpaccio’s works. The people at Save Venice have been funding restoration work on the paintings.
In all, there are three saints venerated in the Scuola: George, Jerome and Tryphon. The paintings relating to the legend of Jerome – firstly show him leading a lion into a monastery (with the resultant flight of the resident monks). The next canvas shows him in repose after his death (further reading here). The painting of Saint Augustine (mentioned and shown above) is linked to Jerome – he is shown experiencing a vision from Jerome while writing to him.
The slightly more obscure Saint Tryphon is depicted in the act of exorcising a demon from the daughter of Gordian, a Roman Emperor. Saint Tryphon became the patron saint of Cattaro when Venetian sailors brought his relics to the city.
Locating the Scuole
Access from my guide maps: Walk #11 ‘Arsenale’ – point of interest #20.
3. San Zulian – one of Venice’s most walked-past churches
The Church of San Giuliano – or San Zulian as it is better known – is a jewel hidden in plain sight. Sitting at the crossroads of the Merceria and at the northern end of the Spaderia this is probably one of the most passed-by churches in the city. It sits on a busy campo and the façade is partially hidden and it is one of only a handful of free-standing churches in Venice.
The façade features the funerary monument of Tommaso Rangone (1554-1557) a physician from Ravenna who funded its construction. There are inscriptions describing Rangone’s talents and the globes to his left and right display a map of the world (left) and the celestial bodies (right). There are several zodiac symbols that are recognisable from below appearing along the bottom half – left to right: Gemini, Cancer, Leo and Virgo. The bear figure in the centre of the globe represents Ursa Minor.
The sculpture of Rangone sitting below a triumphal arch was created by Alessandro Vittoria in 1557. Sansovino designed the façade, and it was completed around 1559. The portico is set back due to space limitations in the campo, but the overall effect of the design and the inscriptions is clear – as Giulio Lorenzetti suggests: the façade is ‘in praise of his own doctrine and munificence’ – a vanity project. The interesting façade and the Rangone backstory are not why we are here though…
Inside there is a modest charm in the scale of the church that makes it accessible and fit for purpose. It has a gilded warmth, and it seems like an oversized – but special – great hall of worship. Escaping from the throng outside, if you seek a space for quiet contemplation or prayer, this is it.
The plan is a square, aisleless nave with two side chapels. During the rebuilding of the façade, the roof of the church collapsed, and it was rebuilt. The ceiling features a gilded wooden cornice which surrounds the ‘The Apotheosis of St. Julian’ (c.1589), an outstanding work by Palma Giovane. The side panels by Leonardo Corona are the eight Virtues.
Some of the works here were commissioned by the cloth and rag merchants and the haberdashers. The most notable of these is Veronese’s ‘Dead Christ Supported by Angels and Saints’ (c.1584, see the altar on the right). Look for the ‘Martyrdom of St. Julian’ by Antonio Zanchi (right side, main altar). The ornate chapel on the left was dedicated to the confraternity of the Holy Sacrament (Santissimo Sacramento) in 1544 and was designed by Giovanni Rusconi. Look for the altarpiece, a Pieta by Girolamo Campagna. The two side statues of the Madonna and St John the Evangelist are by Alessandro Vittoria. There is also an outstanding work of ‘The Capture of Christ’ by Palma Giovane here.
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Locating San Zulian
Locating the church of San Zulian: Walk #1 ‘Goldoni’ – point of interest #5.
4. The Garden of Palazzo Soranzo Capello
Giardino Segreto
Not far from Santa Lucia railway station and facing the Rio Marin is the façade of the Palazzo Soranzo Capello. Behind it lays one of Venice’s most intriguing green spaces. Many of Venice’s hidden gardens will never be seen by the public – they are locked away behind the walls that line the calli, the campielli or the canals. The garden behind the Pallazzo Soranzo Capello may be accessed if you are lucky with your timing (1). A walled rectangular space measuring around 80 x 30 metres it is not the largest of green wedges, but it certainly has a great history. While the building originates from at least the early 17th Century, the earliest appearance the garden design is in a 1709 engraving by Vincenzo Coronelli. The garden also features in two literary works, the first is the Aspern Papers (1888) by Henry James and the second is Gabriele D’Annunzio’s Il Fuoco (1900).
The entrance to the garden features a courtyard with a row of niches that house twelve sculptures of Roman Emperors. A pair of statues frame the entrance to the garden proper, where your eye will be drawn to the portico of a pavilion, placed cleverly to balance the composition and to provide a point of interest.
The garden has been renovated by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture with the aim of restoring the original design based Coronelli’s 1709 engaving. It has four lawns and a variety of plantings consistent with the flowers mentioned in D’Annunzio’s novel including jasmine, poppies, cornflowers and some fruit trees. The effect of the garden design, installations and plantings (not to mention those that have become overgrown!) creates a charming combination of the manicured renaissance style, mixed with the free-form wilderness of the forest.
If you are unable to access the garden, the Soprintendenza have created YouTube video.
Note
(1) It may be possible to make an appointment via the Soprintendenza area metropolitana Venezia e province Belluno Padova Treviso through the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SABAPPDVE/. See also published times of opening that seem to vary, for example during exhibition times – another option is to use the contact details shown here to make an appointment.
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Locating the Garden
Walk #7 ‘Tolentino’, Point of Interest 12-13.
5. The Cloister of the Sant’Apollonia Church
Founded in 1977, the Museo Diocesano d’Arte Sacra (Museum of Diocesan Art) houses a rich historical collection and hosts visiting exhibitions. The cloister inside the museum is worth the visit. As Blogger David Lown puts it: ‘Hidden away in one of the busiest parts of the city, the ancient Chiostro di Sant’ Apollonia is an island of peace and tranquillity in a sea of chaos. Although the Romanesque cloister lies only a stone’s throw from Piazza San Marco, the hordes never penetrate its space’. Dating back to the 12th Century Sant Apollonia no longer exists but its cloister remains. The cloister is the only one of its kind in Venice, with the brick paving being a rare example of what was once common throughout Venice. On the walls there is a collection of decorative fragments of Roman (1st–4th century) and Byzantine/Venetian origin (5th–11th century) relocated from San Marco Basilica. The well in the centre dates back to the 13th Century.
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Locating the Cloister
Walk #9 ‘Vivaldi’ Point of Interest 2.
Click here for Amazing Spaces 6-10
San Zaccaria Crypt
San Polo
Fondaco dei Tedeschi
San Giacomo dell’Orio
Gesuiti cloister
Click here for Amazing Spaces 11-15
Oratory at Gesuiti
San Sebastiano
Screen at the Scuola San Giovanni Evangelista
Palazzo Zenobio degli Armani
Palazzo Loredan (Campo Santo Stefano)
Click here for Amazing Spaces 16-20
‘Marco Polo’ Courtyard
San Simeon Crypt
Taverna Remer
Palazzo Mocenigo
The church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli
Further Reading (San Gregorio)
There are several blogs and web pages that are worthy of a visit for more information including:
Mes Carnets Venitiens (more detail on the history of the abbey and more images)
Abazia (calle, ponte, sotopòrtego dell’) (blog)
Canaletto torna a casa (information about the temporary Canaletto exhibition of the Salute painting)
Olia I Klod (blog with some good and detailed photos)
The Art Newspaper (online news site with an article about how the abbey is being reinvirorated by art)
Chahan Gallery (promotion of an exhibition utilising the space)
The Churches of Venice (for more information about the associated Church of San Gregorio)
Image Credits
Indoor/outdoor transformation images: indoor – The Art Newspaper; outdoor – adapted from Wolfgang Moroder’s image on Wikimedia Commons.
Painting by Otto von Ruppert: https://www.fineart-selection.de/ruppert_otto_d.html
Carlo Naya photograph (c.1870): Flickr page The History of Photography
Art Installation Chahan Gallery
Details from capital and low supporting wall mentioned by Ruskin: Olia I Klod
Gustavo Strafforello’s (1902) Lithograph – Wikimedia Commons
Francesco Guardi (c.1780) painting of the Dogana and Salute (detail showing the full abbey building): Wikimedia Commons
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The abbey from the Grand Canal – Wikimedia Commons
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Art installation with ‘green bug’ – Wikimedia Commons
Further Reading (Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni)
Jan Morris (2015). Ciao Carpaccio! An Infatuation, W. W. Norton & Company, London
Web site: Images of Venice. https://imagesofvenice.com/
Peter Humfrey (2005). Carpaccio, Chaucer Press, London
Image Credits
Façade: Wikimedia Commons
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Interior view: The Scuola’s web site
Further Reading (San Zulian)
Carrington, J. (2016). “Venetian Cartography and the Globes of the Tommaso Rangone Monument in San Giuliano, Venice” Faculty Publications (3), Stephen F Austin State University Texas
Churches of Venice Website
Lorenzetti, G. (1975). Venice and its Lagoon: Historical Artistic Guide, Edizioni Lint Trieste, Trieste
Manno, A. Venchierutti, M. & Codato, P. (2004). The Treasures of Venice, Rizzoli, New York
Further Reading (Garden of the Palazzo Sagredo Capello)
Mariagrazia Dammicco (2007). Venetian Gardens, Flammarion, France
Professor Hedgehog’s Journal (blog)
Image Credits
Soprintendenza have created YouTube video
Image Credit (Cloister of the Sant’Apollonia Church)
Wikimedia Commons user: G.dallorto
