Trips

Wed., 7/29/15 – Venice
            We spent today on our own.  We rode the vaporetto to the Gallerie della’ Accademia.  The ground floor is dedicated to 17th and 18th c. artists and a “New Growth” exhibit is being installed.  It was the upper floor we were interested in because it had Venetian 14th to 16th c. art masterpieces.  In the Accademia we found several paintings we had studied about.  They included:
                        Bellini, Giovanni         Madonna of the Trees
                                                         Madonna with the Blessing Child
                                                         Pieta
                                                         San Giobbe Altarpiece
                        Giorgione                   Old Woman
                                                         Tempest
                        Titian                         Pieta
                        Tintoretto                  Carrying the Body of Saint Mark
                        Veronese                    Feast at the House of Levi
                        Vivarini                      Madonna Enthroned with Fathers of the Church 

Gallerie della’Accademia	Gallerie della’Accademia - ornate ceiling
Gallerie della’Accademia - Veronese: Feast at the House of Levi	Gallerie della’Accademia - Giorgione: Old Woman
Next we took another boat ride and walked to the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.  The Franciscan Church was consecrated in 1492 and has many impressive paintings and sculptures.  We especially looked for the altarpiece of the Assumption of the Virgin by Titian.  We also like Bellini’s Madonna with Child and Saints in which the figures seem to be 3-D.  Donatello’s statue of John the Baptist is also in the sanctuary. No photos are allowed.
Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari	Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
Next to the Frari Church is the Scuola Grande of St. Rocco or Roch.  Saint Roch was born of a noble family (1295) and studied medicine but gave it up to help plague-stricken areas of Italy.  He fell sick with the plague but miraculously recovered.  A scuola is a brotherhood of laymen under the patronage of a saint protector.  Some scuola took care of the interests of a single art or profession (like unions).  In the 1400’s there were about 400 scuola and some still exist today.  The Scuola of St. Roch was built in the early 1500’s.  The walls and ceilings of the rooms are completely covered by canvases painted by Tintoretto who was a brother of the schuola  He received compensation for his canvases and paints and a small living expense and his work ended up being referred to as Tintoretti’s Sistine Chapel.  The ceiling has Old Testament pictures beginning with his version of Adam and Eve and the walls are scenes from the New Testament and the life of Mary.
Scuola di San Rocco	Scuola di San Rocco - Sala Terrena - ground floor - paintings by Tintoretto
Scuola di San Rocco - Floor	Scuola di San Rocco - Floor
After a lunch break, we strolled a new part of Venice to find the Church of Giovanni and Paolo and the equestrian statue in the Campo (or Square) of Saints John and Paul.  Verrocchio created the equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni in 1483. The main problem he had to face was of statics: representing the horse while moving, with a raised leg, could cause stability problems due to the excessive weight of the bronze being supported only by three relatively thin legs.  Verrocchio was the first to solve the problem of having the horse supported by three legs without a stent.
Church of Saints John and Paul	Verrocchio: Equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni
Ospedale of Saints John and Paul	Street scene

            We wandered some more and then got on a #2 vaporetto at Zaccaria to take the long ride back through the Giudecca Canal and past the cruise ship port.
            We had time to pack before our included Farewell dinner with Julia, Minnie, and Jack at our hotel.  We had pasta in meat sauce for the first course and roasted chicken, carrots, and frits for the second.  We had panna cotta for dessert.  Everything was very good.

Thurs., 7/30/15 – Venice to Frankfurt to Chicago to Denver and Estes Park 
            At 7:30am we loaded into a water taxi and rode for 25 minutes across the lagoon to the Venice airport.  Another Grand Circle representative met us at the dock and rode with us on a shuttle van to the terminal.  He pointed out our Lufthansa check in counter and we began our long journey home. 
         To make a long story short, we arrived in Frankfurt to find that LH had changed equipment and needed to bump a bunch of people. So for 600 Euros each and a night and meals in Frankfurt, we said "yes," processed the paperwork, and headed to a nice hotel. The next morning, after an included buffet breakfast we headed back to the airport, flew to Chicago, and then on to Denver. 
            This was a long but very educational and interesting trip to Italy.  We will not hesitate to visit Italy again and are scheduled to do so in September 2016.