THE MOST SPECTACULAR PAINTING OF THE ASSUMPTION you’ll ever see is in The Frari. It’s an action-packed transcendent scene. You’ll gasp. The first time I saw it, there was an organ rehearsal going on. May you be so lucky.

It appears in the center of this massive church’s altar. Mary dances while flying up to golden heaven, her red robe swirling, arms open to the light, she’s lifted on a cloud by twenty-two happy putti. Bearded God swoops down, like Batman; an angel by his side crown a-ready. The earthbound apostles fall all over each other in awe over the miraculous moment, as if a wondrous storm is sweeping through.

The painting caused quite a sensation, like the opening of Star Wars, when folks back in 1518 first saw what Titian painted specifically for this chapel. I imagine he was miffed when the Franciscan friars (whose church it was) gave him flak and waffled about paying him, because they thought his dancing Mary was way too provocative compared to the calm scenes of her levitating on a throne, which was the proper, traditional way to portray her. But soon everybody else declared it revolutionary, Titian became a superstar, and to this day the painting is praised as the best Assumption out there.

Also beautiful is Titian’s Madonna di Ca’ Pesaro. Here he broke the rules again, placing Mary at the side of the painting and putting the Doge who paid for it in the center. Jesus playfully squirms away, tugging at Mary’s veil. She was modeled after Titian’s wife, who died in childbirth not long after the painting was finished.

Titian’s teacher, Giovanni Bellini, painted the delicate, bathed in golden light Madonna triptych in the sacristy. You can take a seat here to admire this stunning, serene image of Mary surrounded by serenading angels. And yes, the Bellini that you’ll be drinking in Venice, that fabulous prosecco and peach juice mixture, was named in honor of this artist.

Scuola San Rocco, Campo San Rocco, San Polo

Next door is another wonderful painting by Titian. It’s an Annunciation, where a red-robed angel dances in to break the news to Mary. You’ll find it upstairs in this Scuola, a place the artist Tintoretto covered with over fifty of his paintings, making it his lifelong project.

For a short time, Tintoretto was a student of Titian’s, but the older artist kicked him out of his studio, some say because Titian was threatened by Tintoretto’s talent. It looks to me more like their styles were so different, probably Titian couldn’t stand to have this artist, nicknamed “Il Furioso” around.

Tintoretto’s paintings have a folksy exuberance, with massive characters jammed together telling stories of dramatic biblical moments. The first painting of his you’ll notice on the left as you enter the Scuola is the most bizarre Annunciation I’ve ever seen. Typically, Mary is in a sacred bedroom, with a lovely garden in the background. But here she’s in a broken down home, dropping a cloth from her spinning wheel, bewildered and anxious, as a muscular Angel Gabriel bursts in through the brick wall with tumbling putti overhead. In the background, Mary’s husband Joseph works in the yard, oblivious to the event. It’s quintessential Tintoretto, mixing the Divine with the everyday.

The Great Hall upstairs features wall-to-ceiling Old and New Testament scenes. You can pick up mirrors on side carts to get a better look at all that drama above you.

Though the overall effect of Tintoretto’s Scuola borders on too Vegas-like for my taste, it’s well worth it to stop by here for those two completely different Annunciations.

Basilica dei Frari: San Polo 3072 (near San Toma vaporetto stop). Open Monday-Saturday 9-6, Sunday 1-6. Check their website for occasional concerts: www.basilicadeifrari.it.

Scuola Grande di San Rocco: Campo San Rocco, San Polo. Open daily 9:30-5:30, www.scuolagrandesanrocco.org.

Golden Day: Visit the Frari and Scuola San Rocco, then have lunch at Antiche Carampane (Rio Tera delle Carampane, Rialto, near Ponte delle Tette, 041 524 0165, reservations well in advance essential, closed Sunday and Monday, www.antichecarampane.com) for extraordinary fish and pastas, in an atmosphere that perfectly blends warmth and elegance.