You will be starting this walk amongst a group of bridges that lead into Campiello Querini Stampalia.  This is virtually at the first point of interest (POI), the Fondazione Querini Stampalia (No. 5252).  The building is a rare example of a patrician palazzo and the former family home of the Querini, who had supported the failed coup led by Bajamonte Tiepolo in 1310.  For this they were banished from Venice to the mainland.  They would not return to the city until a century later.  The collection inside has over 400 works from Venetian, Italian and Flemish artists dating back as far as the 14^th century.  There are simply too many interesting and significant works to be listed here.  There is a substantial collection of scenes from Venetian life by various artists.  One such example is Gabriele Bella who was ‘a lesser-known Venetian artist, who drew on the work of engravers for his inspiration.  His use of colour and the variety of his scenes offer glimpses into the rhythms of Venetian public life in the 18th century’ (Venice in Peril).  The Venice in Peril project funded conservation of 13 of the 67 paintings in the original collection.  His painting of the battle between the rival factions (the Castellani and the Nicolotti) on Ponte Santa Fosca illustrates the types of fights on the ponte pugni in various parts of the city.  Good articles explaining this are here, here and here).  The Querini Stampalia is an example of a museum in the city that is lesser known but well worth the visit, especially when the crowds around San Marco or the Doge’s Palace become intolerable.

Moving along we now proceed through Campiello Santa Maria Formosa.  Near the right rear bridge (Ponte de Ruga Giuffa) is Palazzo Malipiero Trevisan (POI #3).  The building is a Renaissance era palazzo which was the residence of the Malipiero family until the 15^th century.  It was later taken over by the Trevisan family.  It has now been divided into several apartments.  Unfortunately, the later addition to the roof impacts the symmetry of the building.

After crossing over the Ponte Ruga de Giuffa and taking a few turns you will arrive at Palazzo Grimani (POI #4).  This was originally the residence of Antonio Grimani who became the Doge in 1521 (d.1523).  Subsequent heirs modified the building with significant works carried out 1539-40.  Later, Giovanni (who was Bishop of Ceneda and later Patriarch of Aquileia) had the courtyard created, added an oval staircase and enhanced the decoration of the second floor (stucco work and frescoes created by Camillo Montavano and Federico Zuccari).  Giovanni had a great interest in artworks, and he developed a hall called the ‘chamber of antiquities’ (aka the ‘Tribuna’) to display his collection which numbered 130 sculptures.  The assemblage was the most important collection of such antiquities in Renaissance Venice.  It was an attraction viewed at the Palazzo by King Henri III of France and Poland during his visit to the city in July 1574.  Though the collection was gifted to the republic in 1587, many of these sculptures have been restored to their original place in the Tribuna for an exhibition known as ‘Domus Grimani 1594-2019’.  There is a sense of drama created with the suspended sculpture of the ‘The Kidnapping of Ganymedes’ right above the gallery (Ganymedes was abducted by the gods to serve as Zeus’s cup bearer at Olympus).  Other sections of the palazzo have been utilised for exhibition spaces (source: see ‘Art Destination Venice’).  Giovanni Grimani sat for a portrait by Tintoretto which is now in the palazzo and located in the Sala a Fogliami (foliage room).

Returning to the Campo, you will pass by a vera da pozzo (well head; POI #5) on your left as you head towards Palazzo Vitturi (POI #7) which is on the right.  This well was built in 1512 and has a relief of Madonna della Misericordia on one of its panels.  The second well head (POI #8) was built in the 18^th century.  In Jacopo de’ Barbari wood cut ‘aerial view’ of the campo (created in 1497-1500) it can be plainly seen that there were originally three well heads in the Campo.  The one that you can see today appears to have been built in the space between the original two showing in the old engraving of the Campo.

Palazzo Vitturi is a good example of a Veneto-Byzantine style of architecture.  It dates back to around the middle of the 14^th century and illustrates several features of this architectural style.  Look for the four ‘lancet’ (narrow) windows on the second floor and the pointed arches with fret work capitals.  There are also decorative Greek marble patera above the second floor featuring birds, gryphons, the tree of life and lions.  Pateras were usually carved from a ‘slice’ of a disused marble column and they are a common decorative touch in older Venetian buildings.  The balustrade would have been added in a later era.

The next point of interest (POI #6) in the important and fascinating church of Santa Maria Formosa.  The church is at the centre of a somewhat contested story of kidnap and rescue on a grand scale dating back in the 10^th century.  Hugh Douglas writing in ‘Venice on Foot (1907)’ explains:

It was the ancient custom for the Venetian betrothed couples to go to the cathedral of S. Pietro in Castello on the last day of January every year to celebrate their marriages. The girls went dressed in.white, with their hair, which was mixed with golden threads, on their shoulders, and their dowries in small chests called “arcelle”. In the tenth century the exact date is very uncertain some pirates hid themselves over night among the trees, which abounded in the island, and in the morning, during the function, entered the church, and carried off the brides and their dowries, as well as the bridegrooms, and some historians say the bishop and clergy as well … They were followed by the Venetians, who, after having killed them all, returned in triumph to Venice with the rescued brides and their dowries. As the rescue was principally due to the “casselleri,” or casemakers, who had their establishments at S. Maria Formosa, they requested as a recompense that the doge should visit their parish church in state, every year, on the festival of the Purification.

The commemorative procession (Festival of the Marys) did not last, but it was later revived during the Renaissance era by linking the original story of the rescue to the event.  In 1343 the girls were replaced by decorated wooden silhouettes, known as Marioni (‘big Marys’) and small replicas that were believed to have been on sale during the festival were termed ‘little Marys’ or Marionette.  The festival would again lapse in 1379.  The modern version is commemorated during Carnivale and the ‘live’ Marys have returned!  (Sources: Visit Venezia; and Luca’s Italy).

As for the church itself, the building you see today was rebuilt after 1492 and is the latest of several rebuilds since the church was established in the 7^th century.  There are several points of interest around the building itself which we will explore towards the end of the walk.

Inside the church, look for the Santa Barbara altarpiece by Palma Vecchio (1522).  The altarpiece was restored recently by the Venice in Peril project.  It is described beautifully in the ‘Churches of Venice’ website:

She stands on a pedestal between cannon and there’s a tower, her attribute, in the background. She is flanked by smaller panels of Saints Sebastian and Anthony Abbot, and they are topped by smaller half-lengths of Saints John the Baptist and Vincent Ferrer. There’s a Pietà in the pediment. Anthony Abbot and Vincent Ferrer carry flames, not their usual attributes. The cannon and flames are there because this is the altar dedicated to the Scuola di Bombardieri (artillerymen) whose patron saint is Barbara. This scuola played a prominent part in public processions … because of its spectacular uniforms. … It is claimed to be the last great polyptych commissioned for a Venetian church, as the form was by then falling out of fashion. The marble framing is 18th century. On the altar below is a carved relief showing her lying on the ground with her head unattached, because she’s just been decapitated by her father.

Moving on to the Libreria Acqua Alta which is point of interest number 10.  This is an amazing bookshop that has so much stock that it is hard to take in on first visit.  There are historical books in a variety of languages and various curiosities around the shop which make it an interesting and possibly rewarding stop.  Just a little further on there is the Palazzo Tette (POI #11), which looks as though it might be floating in the canal – a good spot for a photo.

Returning to the campo and turning right you will be able to see the house of Doge Sebastiano Venier (at No. 6129, POI #9), the hero of the Battle of Lepanto which was a naval encounter that took place between the two sworn enemies – the Turks and the Venetians – in 1571.  There are two additional palazzos that round out what is a very handsome campo indeed – Palazzi Dona at No. 6123 (this is a series of interconnected palazzi; POI #12) and Palazzo Ruzzini at No. 5866 (POI #13).  If you are facing the Ruzzini, remember to smile for the webcam.

The Ruzzini were a rich family, divided into several branches and they were major property holders in Venice.  Towards the end of the 16^th century the family commissioned Bartolomeo Manopola to design a palazzo.  The most famous member of the family was Carlo who was elected Doge in 1732, at the age of eighty.  It appears he never actually lived in the Santa Maria Formosa palazzo.  Construction is thought to have taken place after a fire in 1586 which destroyed some of the family’s houses.  The water facade on the Paradiso canal is an example of a sixteenth century facade, with lions heads at the level of the water.  Frescoes and decorative elements over the doors by Lazzarini are still conserved in the building today which has been turned into a hotel.

We will now complete a loop to view a few more points of interest where we will conclude this walk.  On the bridge at the northern end of the Campo you might be able to see part of the waterfront façade of Palazzo Morosini del Pestrin looking right (POI #14) and looking left the water façade of the Palazzo Ruzzini.  Moving on, we soon arrive at the decorative gothic arch at the northern end of Calle del Paradiso.  The calle itself shows good examples of the barbacani or wooden corbels that protrude from the floors above the street, providing a few extra square centimetres of space in the floors above, such a valued commodity in a city where land is scarce.

A few more steps along the Fondamente dei Preti will bring you back to the bell tower of the church where you can see the Mascerone at the base of the bell tower (POI #18).  These are commonplace around Venice and were used to ward off evil spirits.  This one seems to have gained some notoriety.  In 1850 John Ruskin in his seminal work on Venetian architecture ‘The Stones of Venice’ suggested that it was: “A head,—huge, inhuman, and monstrous,—leering in bestial degradation, too foul to be either pictured or described”.

A little further along is the Scuole of the chest-makers and the fruit vendors (No. 5268 A/B; POI #19).  The next façade along shows a Roman styled military leader who is the subject of the façade’s devotion: Vincenzo Cappello (1469-1541), a famous admiral of the Venetian fleet.  He is buried in the church of Santa Maria Formosa and his portrait was painted by Titian in 1540 (POI #29).

The final building in our walk is rather modest but has significant connections to the church.  It is the former Scuole dei Bombardiere (Artillery; POI #21).  Look carefully and you will see a small bas-relief of Saint Barbara on the corner of the building just before the bridge.  Saint Barbara was the patron saint of the gunners and as you would have observed in the church earlier in this itinerary, they are well-represented.

Sources

Churches of Venice, (2021). http://churchesofvenice.com/index.htm

Douglas, H. (1907). Venice on Foot: With the Itinerary of the Grand Canal and Several Direct Routes to Useful Places, C. Scribner’s Sons

Fasolo, A. (2003).  Palaces of Venice, Arsenale Editrice, Verona

Freely, J. (1994).  Strolling through Venice, Penguin Books, London

Howard, D. (2005). The Architectural History of Venice, Yale University Press, New Haven

Kociszewska, E. (2020). Displays of Sugar Sculpture and the Collection of Antiquities in Late Renaissance Venice. Renaissance Quarterly, 73(2), 441-488.

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

Image sources

Archway over Calle Paradiso: Wikimedia user Nino Barbieri

Casa Venier: Wikimedia Commons user Abxbay

Campo and church: Wikimedia user Jean-Pol GRANDMONT

Doge Antonio Grimani (1434–1523) Portrait: Art UK (National Trust, Attingham Park)

Fondazione Querini Stampalia: Wikimedia Commons user Abxbay

Mascerone Santa Maria Formosa bell tower: Wikimedia user: G.dallorto

Palazzo Malipiero Trevisan: Wikimedia Commons user Abxbay

Palazzo Grimani (Tribune): Art Destination Venice

Palazzo Vitturi: Wikimedia Commons user Didier Descouens

Palazzo Vitturi (inside rooms): Hotel Palazzo Vitturi

Palazzo Ruzzini: Wikimedia user Bartolomeo Manopola

Palma il Vecchio Altar feat. St Barbara: Wikimedia Commons user Didier Descouens

Jacopo Tintoretto, “Portrait of Giovanni Grimani,” Venetian Art, accessed July 13, 2022, http://library.bc.edu/venetianart/items/show/1717.

Scuola dei Casselleri e dei Fruttaroli: Wikimedia user Didier Descouens

Scuola Bombardiere: Wikimedia user amberapparently from Sydney

Vincenzo Cappello portrait by Titian: Peter Humfrey, “Titian, Italian 16th Century/Vincenzo Cappello/c. 1550/1560,” Italian Paintings of the Sixteenth Century, NGA Online Editions, https://purl.org/nga/collection/artobject/437