Venice Revealed: Secret Treasures of the Serenissima

Itinerary

Pre-Tour Study Day (Tuesday 17^th September)
For those who are able to come, there will be a complimentary study morning in London a few days before the tour begins, giving us an opportunity to meet other members of the group and explore works by Venetian artists in the National Gallery collection. The introductory late morning tour, led by Siân Walters, will last approximately 1½ hours. You may like to join the group for lunch (optional) afterwards.

Day 1 (Monday 23^rd September)
There will be free time today to arrive and enjoy the city at leisure.

Join us in the early evening for a drinks reception in the Ca’ Sagredo, a stunning 15^th century palazzo of outstanding historic importance. The palace’s portego on the piano nobile is decorated with beautiful 18th-century landscapes and overlooks the Grand Canal. The magnificent frescoed halls and monumental marble staircases of the palace transport one back in time to the grandeur and hedonism of the Venetian Golden Age, and its rooms boast artworks by many of the leading artists of the 17^th and 18^th century including Sebastiano Ricci, Pietro Longhi and Giambattista Tiepolo.

Afterwards we will enjoy a 5-course tasting menu with matching wines (included) at one of Cannaregio’s most well-known restaurants.

Day 2 (Tuesday 24^th September)
Venice is divided into six districts or “sestieri” and today we spend the day exploring our local neighbourhood of Cannaregio which offers a glimpse of the hidden Venice, less visited by tourists.

We will convene at the Ca’ Sagredo and depart on foot with Siân and Luisella for a full day’s guided tour including an exclusive private opening of the Oratorio dei Crociferi, a true hidden gem of the city which contains one of the greatest masterpieces by Palma il Giovane. The eight canvases recount the story of the Order of the Crociferi and its charitable activities, reflecting the history of social assistance in Venice. We then explore the area around the Campo dei Gesuiti and admire masterpieces of art in the Gesuiti church, including works by Titian and Tintoretto.

After lunch (included) in the restored Ex Convento dei Crociferi, you will enjoy a private opening of the Contarini Dal Zaffo gardens, which are not open to the public.  In the 16^th century the garden and palace belonged to the Renaissance scholar and theologian Gasparo Contarini, who is buried in the nearby church of Madonna dell’Orto. This was Tintoretto’s local church, where several of his greatest canvases can be found. We end the day with a guided tour of the Ca’ d’Oro, one of the architectural masterpieces of the Grand Canal. It was restored by Baron Giorgio Franchetti who in 1916 donated both the palace and his impressive collection of art, including works by Mantegna, Carpaccio and Pisanello, to the Italian state.

This evening we enjoy a drinks reception in the Ca’ Sagredo followed by a private recital given by the Mandolin Venice Ensemble, a chamber group dedicated to showcasing the unlimited richness of Italian Classical Music for plucked instruments, a tradition which began in Venice and gained international renown with the wonderful concertos of Vivaldi and his contemporaries. The concert is followed by a gala dinner, hosted in the magnificent ballroom of the Ca’ Sagredo, a space which extends to a height of two floors and is decorated with a series of illusionistic architectural frescoes by Gaspare Diziani.  It will be a unique and memorable experience to enjoy music and dinner in such a historic setting.

Day 3 (Wednesday 25^th September)
We will convene at the Ca’ Sagredo and depart by private water taxi for a morning’s slow cruise along the Grand Canal.

We then arrive in style, alighting at the private water-front entrance of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, where we are privileged to have been granted permission for an exclusive private opening of the museum. Our guided tours will be led by Siân and Luisella.

Peggy Guggenheim was one of the most important art patrons of the 20th century and became one of the most influential collectors of contemporary art, commissioning works from leading painters and sculptors such as Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Jackson Pollock and Joan Miró. Her private collection was displayed in her home in Venice, the impressive Palazzo Venier dei Leoni situated on the Grand Canal, and was donated to The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in the 1970s. It is now one of the most popular museums in the city.

After time for coffee we will enjoy a walking tour of the Dorsoduro district including a private visit to the Squero San Trovaso, Venice’s oldest continually operating squero or boatyard, dating back to the 17^th century. Visits are permitted by special arrangement only, so this will be a unique opportunity to not only learn about the rich history of Venice’s iconic gondola, but witness first-hand the traditional techniques employed to make, repair and maintain them.

We will enjoy a delicious traditional lunch (included) in a delightful nearby trattoria, including a cicchetti course (these are Venetian small plates or tapas).

Finally there will be a guided tour of the Gallerie dell’Accademia. The gallery contains the most important collection of Venetian art in the world, with highlights including Titian’s Pietà, Veronese’s Feast in the House of Levi and Gentile Bellini’s Procession in St. Mark’s Square. We will also take time to study some important recent acquisitions such as Samson and Delilah by Giulia Lama, a rare example of a female artist working in 18^th century Venice.

The day ends with dinner (included) at one of Cannaregio’s best-loved restaurants.

Day 4 (Thursday 26^th September)
The monastic Library of San Francesco della Vigna is still one of the hidden treasures of Venice and today we will enjoy an exclusive private tour of its precious collection of manuscripts and ancient printed books, accompanied by Brother Rino Sgarbossa who for many years has taken care of and promoted these collections. These include the first “encyclopaedia” ever printed in history; rare editions of the Bible including the first ever Torah published in Venice; and the earliest printed maritime atlas, written by the Elizabethan courtier and explorer Sir Robert Dudley.

Important patrician families such as the Gritti and the Grimani financed the monastic church, which we will also visit, whose elegant façade designed by Andrea Palladio stands next to the ancient cloisters.

After coffee we board our privately chartered boat for an excursion to the atmospheric and picturesque islands of the Venetian Lagoon. The main islands such as Murano are well known to visitors, but our special alternative tour offers us an unusual opportunity of visiting some lesser-known places, which are havens of serenity and beauty.

We start with a private wine tasting on the island of Mazzorbo, at the Venissa wine estate.  This is the home to the only hectare (in the world) of the rare Dorona grape, native to the Venetian Lagoon and cultivated for many centuries until it almost became extinct after the acqua alta of 1966. It was rediscovered by the Bisol family (of Prosecco fame) and is now used to produce one of the most sought-after wines in the world. We then enjoy a relaxed lunch in the estate’s renowned Osteria Contemporanea, which featured recently in Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy culinary television documentary series.

After lunch (included) you may like to walk across the vineyard and over the bridge to neighbouring Burano, famous for its lace shops and richly colourful facades, or simply enjoy the peace and tranquillity of Mazzorbo.

Finally, our boat will take us to nearby San Francesco del Deserto, a tiny monastic island not accessible by any public transport. The hermitage here was, according to legend, founded by Saint Francis of Assisi himself. Our guided tour of the church and monastery will be led by one of the friars.

We will return to Venice in the early evening. Dinner tonight is independent.

Day 5 (Friday 27^th September)
This morning we will explore the San Marco and Castello districts on foot. We will see the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, the largest church in Venice and burial site of doges; the facade of the Scuola Grande di San Marco, one of the most important facades of the Venetian Renaissance; and the exquisite church Santa Maria dei Miracoli, one of Venice’s architectural gems.

After coffee in Campo Santa Maria Formosa we will enjoy a specially arranged guided tour of the Palazzo Grimani. The palace and its impressive museum have been recently restored and boast stately architecture, wonderful frescoes and an impressive archaeological collection which reflects the wide-ranging collecting interests of one of the main protagonists of 16th century Venice, the Patriarch of Aquileia, Giovanni Grimani.

A delicious al fresco lunch (included) is served in a much-loved nearby trattoria, located in a Renaissance palace designed by the architect Mauro Codussi.

For those able to stay after lunch, join Siân and Luisella for a walk to Piazza San Marco where we enjoy a short architectural tour, before returning together to Cannaregio along the Grand Canal.