Titian, Giorgione and Tintoretto
In the former Scuola della Carità, at the foot of the wooden bridge that bears its name, the Gallerie dell'Accademia hold the most important collection of Venetian painting in the world, from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. It was founded in 1807 by Napoleon, who gathered here the paintings of suppressed churches, convents and scuole.
The visit follows five centuries of art: the golden Byzantine panels of Paolo Veneziano; the Madonnas of Giovanni Bellini; Giorgione's Tempest, one of the most mysterious paintings in history; the vast canvases of Carpaccio with the stories of St Ursula and the miracles of the Holy Cross, full of details of daily life in Venice; Titian's Pietà, his last work; the great Feast in the House of Levi by Veronese, so called after the painter was summoned by the Inquisition for having included dwarfs, drunkards and dogs in a Last Supper; the dramatic Miracle of the Slave by Tintoretto; and the eighteenth century with Tiepolo and Canaletto. The museum also owns Leonardo's famous drawing of the Vitruvian Man, displayed only occasionally to protect it.
Tip: allow at least two hours; on the first Sunday of the month entry is free and very crowded.
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