VENICE: CITY, REPUBLIC And EMPIRE - Academy Travel

Above: Outside Vicenza we visit Palladio’s Villa Capra (La
Rotonda) – a fine country residence so named because of its
completely symmetrical plan with a central circular hall
Below: an early depiction of the island of San Lazzaro degli
Armeni
Below: the view from the Piazzetta across to the island of
San Giorgio Maggiore, with its Palladian church
Venice
City, republic and Empire
Saturday 23 March
Venetian fine art
This morning we visit the church of San Zaccaria, containing paintings
by artists including Tintoretto, Giovanni Bellini and Tiepolo. We also
take in the Carpaccio cycle at the Scuola di San Giorgio degli
Schiavoni, the tombs of Venice’s doges at Santi Giovanni e Paolo, and
the beautiful Renaissance marbles of Santa Maria dei Miracoli. After a
break for lunch, we visit the church of the Frari and its outstanding
collection of paintings and sculptures, including Titian’s celebrated
Assumption of the Virgin altarpiece, painted in 1517. This evening we
meet for a talk on Palladio and the Renaissance in Venice. (B)
Sunday 24 March
Free day
The day is free to relax, explore the Lido, or undertake individual
sightseeing. Those interested in modern art may like to visit the
impressive Peggy Guggenheim Collection, located in one of the
heiress’s residences, the 18th century Palazzo Venier. The collection
includes outstanding works by Dali, Kandinsky, Pollock, Magritte,
Mondrian and Picasso. (B)
Monday 25 March
Palladio on the terrafirma
In the 16th century, amid declining trade, the Venetian aristocracy
sought to recreate the life of the ancients in the countryside. We travel
by coach to the mainland to enjoy a full day visiting some of Palladio’s
fine country villas, all elegant variations in the classical style. We begin
the day at the Villa Barbaro at Maser, where we will have an opportunity
to taste the wines and sample local produce. We then continue to
Vicenza, with its important civic buildings by Palladio, and the Villa
Capra or La Rotonda, Palladio’s celebrated centrally-planned pleasure
villa. (B, L)
Tuesday 26 March
Palladio in Venice
This morning we travel to the nearby island of San Lazzaro degli
Armeni, where we visit the convent of the Armenian monks, a centre of
learning and enlightenment for Venice for hundreds of years. Byron
worked alongside the monks here (on an English-Armenian dictionary),
and the monastery contains an eclectic collection of ceramics, liturgical
apparatus, icons and, surprisingly, Egyptian artefacts. After a lunch
break in the Zattere district, we visit the Palladian churches on
Giudecca, the Redentore and San Giorgio Maggiore, where we ascend
the belltower for a splendid panorama over the lagoon. (B)
Wednesday 27 March
The Accademia and the scuola GRANDE di
san rocco
This morning we have a booked visit to the Galleria dell’Accademia, the
main gallery of Venetian painting from the Middle Ages to the 18th