The Wykehamist
we set off in the direction of the Santa Maria della Salute. This church was built during the middle of the 17 th Century, finally completed in 1687. Interestingly, following the precedent that was set by Il Redontore, the S. Maria was also created in reaction to the end of a period of plague across Venice that killed up to 94,000 people, dedicated to Our Lady of Health. It’ s Baroque exterior was not like any other church we had seen on the trip. Given its commanding presence over the canal, there is no wonder that in the centuries after its construction, it became one of the most painted buildings in the city, inspiring J. M. W. Turner, Claude Monet, and Canaletto, among a large list of others. The inside was no less spectacular, not only through the wonderful stonework, but also as a result of the paintings, with a Titian, The Descent of the Holy Spirit, among them. Leading on from our exit of the church, we went to the Peggy Guggenheim collection, a museum that combines thought provoking, fantastic art and equally fantastic views from the balcony of the 18th century building. This museum provided a welcome change, filled with art from some of the greatest artists of the last 100 years. Though there were certain paintings, like Rose by Agnes Martin that were quite a challenge to make heads or tails of, in here there was something for everyone. Many enjoyed the serene calm of the sculpture garden, the first space as you enter the museum and the perfect place for a moment of sketching or just quiet reflection. We left to go to a more commercial part of the city to find something to eat. You may know about Venice pigeons. Ugly, unfazed, grey bags of flesh and bone who roam the canals thinking that the city is theirs alone. Luckily however, they are not an aggressive kind of bird. Audacious, yes, but not aggressive. The same cannot be said of the seagulls that share the pigeon’ s skies and squares. Now sent out to find our own lunch, we went on a mission for something to eat. Place after place we passed by had friendly Italian men coming out of their restaurants, seeing such a large group and proclaiming“ No service charge” – but we were not to be fooled after our experience of the second night. Having not been able to make a decision, our last resort was a book and record shop that sold guides to Venice, experimental records filled with the sounds of anything but music and a photo album of a hamster with a very flat head, where every day the owner had placed a different object on top. Interesting. With only one of us having bought anything, we made our exit to the sandwich shop he recommended. Chuffed to have found a place that seemed like it was frequented by‘ real Venetians’, we bought something to eat and went to sit by the canal. Not so fast! As I sat down, an exceptionally rude seagull grabbed and knocked my Parma ham roll into the water. The bastard now ate it in front of my eyes and left the lettuce floating sadly in the canal. With many having taken this as the last opportunity to buy any souvenirs, we met again to go to the Ca Rezzonico, a palazzo and museum documenting 18 th century Venice. During the rest of our visit, we hadn’ t been to see much art or architecture later than the 17 th century( with the Guggenhaim an exception) so it was nice to see how the art of the city developed. On leaving the museum, we went back to the hostel for the last time to collect the luggage we had left behind in their storage room. This was the end. Five and a half great days spent in Venice made for a trip for the ages. Thank you to NAT, EACR, REJF, and LJQ for making our time as good as it could possibly be.
Anton Oliver( H, 2021-) and Jad Darkazally( D, 2021-)
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