MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES
2. Museo del Merletto
Piazza Baldassare Galuppi 187, Burano • Open Apr–Oct: 10am–6pm Tue–Sun (to 5pm Nov–Mar) • Adm • museomerletto.visitmuve.it
A must for craft-lovers is the lacemaking island of Burano and this precious display of more than 200 rare lace items, documenting a 500-year history.
3. Museo del Vetro
Fondamenta Giustiniani 8, Murano • Open Apr–Oct: 10am–6pm daily (to 5pm Nov–Mar) • Adm • www.visitmuve.it
A phenomenal chandelier from 1864, constructed from 356 handmade pieces, weighing 330 kg (730 lb) and measuring nearly 7 m (23 ft) in circumference and 4-m (13-ft) high, is the star of this glass museum in the Palazzo Giustiniani. Other exhibits include Phoenician phials, blown vases, ruby chalices, exquisite mirrors and the famed kaleidoscopic beads that were once traded worldwide.
Murano glassware at Museo del Vetro
4. Palazzo Grassi
This landmark collection (see Palazzo Grassi) of contemporary art, housed in a palace on the Grand Canal, is renewed on a regular basis. The inspirational sister gallery is Punta della Dogana.
5. Fondazione Querini Stampalia
Campo S Maria Formosa, Castello 5252 • Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sun • Adm • www.querinistampalia.org
This unmissable Renaissance palace was the bequest of Giovanni Querini in 1868, the last member of the illustrious dynasty, on the condition that the library be made available “particularly in the evenings for the convenience of scholars”. The immaculately restored palace-museum houses fascinating scenes of public and private life by Gabriel Bella and Pietro Longhi, as well as Carlo Scarpa’s Modernist creations.
6. Museo Correr
A tremendous number of priceless artworks and a miscellany of items on Venice’s history are housed in this fine museum on Piazza San Marco (see Museo Correr Complex).
Museo Correr
7. Ca’ Pesaro Galleria d’Arte Moderna
Fondamenta Ca’ Pesaro, S Croce 2076 • Open Apr–Oct: 10am–6pm Tue–Sun (to 5pm Nov–Mar) • Adm • www.visitmuve.it
A Baroque triumph of a palace, Ca’ Pesaro’s interior, in contrast, houses works by European 19th- and 20th-century masters such as Marc Chagall and Gustave Klimt, includng a strong collection of Italian works.
November 1870 by Telemaco Signorini in the Ca’ Pesaro Galleria
8. Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni
Calle dei Furlani, Castello 3259 • Open 1:30–5:30pm Mon, 9:30am–5:30pm Tue–Sat, 9:30am–1:30pm Sun & pub hols • Adm
The finest works by Vittorio Carpaccio can be seen at the confraternity of the Slavs (Schiavoni). Slaying The Dragon is one of the scenes from the lives of Dalmatian saints, which were painted between 1502 and 1507.
9. Scuola Grande di San Rocco
The San Rocco confraternity has been turned into a gallery to display its spectacular collection of works by Tintoretto. The artist won the commission hands down – not content with a sketch, he completed an entire canvas. He then spent 23 years devoting himself to the cycle of 60 inspired Old and New Testament scenes, culminating in the breath-taking Crucifixion (1565). These masterpieces are the crowning glory of Tintoretto’s life work.
10. Museo Storico Navale
Campo S Biagio, Castello 2148 • Open 10am–6pm daily (last adm 5pm) • Adm • www.visitmuve.it
Watercraft galore are found here, and almost an entire floor is dedicated to the golden age of the Venetian Republic’s naval past. However, the highlight is the replica of the Doge’s ceremonial barge, Bucintoro, decorated with allegorical statues.
Doge’s ceremonial barge at the Museo Storico Navale
