VENICE IN WINTER

24th – 28th November 2008 with Adrian Mourby

'I was conducted through the principal street, which they call the Grand Canal... It is the fairest and best built street, I think, in the world...and… goes through the most triumphant city that I have ever seen… the houses of about a hundred years standing are faced with white marble from Istria... and inlaid with porphyry and serpentine'
Commines, French Ambassador to Venice, 1494

Many would still agree with the ambassador, for Venice is indeed a remarkable and fascinating city which rightly continues to attract admiration. From the original settlers, refugees from the mainland fleeing from the barbarian invaders, to Grand Tourists in the 18th century, wearied by the classical ruins of Rome and seeking more immediate pleasures, from the idly curious to the passionately committed, Venice has never lacked visitors. Many have come here, like Byron or Browning, to write; others, like Turner or Monet, came here to paint. Some, like Wagner, died here. The city has long been a meeting place between east and west, between Constantinople and Rome, and its art treasures encompass the work of Greek and Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance, Rococo and Modernist artists.

In this exploration of the city and its art treasures we shall stay close to many of the most famous sights – St Mark’s, the Rialto, the Doge’s Palace, and, of course, the Grand Canal – but also visit some less frequented and more idiosyncratic parts of this unique city. The best way to explore the city is certainly on foot, aided by the vaporetti (motor buses) when necessary.

We shall see Venice at the best time of year and stay at its best-known hotel, the luxurious Danieli. Here Henry James, Dickens and Wagner were guests (though Wagner left because he found it too expensive) and George Sand walked out on her lover because he expected her to take part in orgies.

Breakfast at the lavish Danieli affords one of the best views in the whole of Venice, a 180-degree panorama from the roof of the Doge’s Palace, to the island monastery of San Giorgio and all the way down Riva Schiavoni to Arsenale.

Exploring the city on foot we will be seeking out its less well known treasures.  We shall also tour some of the sestieri (districts of the city), like Dorsoduro and Cannareggio, where tourists rarely venture. A trip to the romantic island of Torcello (as featured in the writings of Hemingway and Pinter) is also planned.

There will be free time, however to visit Venice’s most famous sights – St Mark’s, Caffe Florian, the Rialto and the Doge’s Palace, all within easy walking of our lovely hotel.

We will also visit some of Venice’s great museums and art galleries. We shall spend time in the Accademia, rich in paintings by Venice’s greatest masters, Giovanni Bellini, Carpaccio, Giorgione, Titian and Tintoretto, and we shall see one or two of the scuole, institutions that provided the social services in mediaeval & Renaissance Venice which were decorated with fine paintings by the city’s best artists. Close to the grandest of all the scuole is an absolute must: the great Franciscan church where Monteverdi, Titian, and Canova are buried and masterpieces by Donatello, Bellini and Titian are displayed.
 
There is also the opportunity to see the Venice of Vivaldi, Tchaiksovsky, Mozart, Handel, Gabrieli, Wagner and Stravinsky on a walking tour of composer's Venice.

At the time of writing the programme for the recently restored La Fenice Theatre is not yet available. The Autumn 2008 programme will not be released under September 2008 but it is more than likely that we can offer the option of an evening of opera at this jewel of an opera house (prices to be confirmed).

Within a few days we shall only be able to glimpse a fraction of the riches that this city has to offer, but there will be time too to relax, to observe something of the Venetian way of life, and to experience a little of that enchantment that captivated the many visitors in the past.