Venice day 2

September 21, 2023

After our busy day yesterday seeing the “must see” Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica, we took a vappereto from Murano, where we are staying, up and down the grand canal of Venice listening to Rick Steve’s audio tour. One of the things we learned today was that sitting or standing outside while on the vapporetto makes the trip wonderful. It’s so much easier to see the wonderful things you are going by.

The Grand Canal is flanked by lavish houses of the wealthiest merchants.

The home of Peggy Guggenheim which is now an art museum.

There are many side canals along the grand canal.

Off to the Rialto market. Lots of fresh seafood, fruit and vegetables. How about some octopus?

Several vendors had rice and pasta options

We traversed some of the back streets and alleyways of Venice.

Next up, to Ca’Pesaro- an international modern art museum, (not to be confused with the Guggenheim). One of our members wanted to explore the not so busy parts of Venice. The museum has some nice holdings, a pop art section with works by Oldenburg, Warhol, Litchenstein, Jasper Johns, and Jim Dine. In addition the collection had works by Klimt, Hokusai, plasters of Rodin’s famous sculptures and an extensive Asian collection of scrolls, musical instruments, porcelain, kimonos, weapons lots and lots of swords arrows, armor, saddles and stirrups. Over 30,000 artifacts collected by one family on their world tour.

Plaster of Rodin Sculpture “The Brughers of Calais”

An admirer of Rodin. Sculpture by Adolf Wildt.

We were going through the museum through several rooms before we happened to look up. Many of the ceilings had beautiful art work.

We had lovely lunch at the museum cafe sitting with the grand canal lapping almost at our feet -literally - over the sea wall. There was a glass barrier to hold back the water. Lovely view, breeze, and reasonable prices.

Lunch by the grand canal, water literally lapping right next to us

As the boats went by water lapped up right by the glass panel

Vapperetto back to Murano, more glass shops and factories to explore. Some with public demos some on little traveled streets where the sound of the furnaces were the only hint of the glass blowing taking place inside.

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