From the stunning works of art and architecture dating back to the 15th century our students were inspired to hone their sketching and photographic skills throughout each day as we passed and visited a breath-taking range of sights.
After a smooth journey, we arrived at our hotel to check-in and leave bags before heading out for dinner and our first awe-inspiring Venetian sight, the Rialto Bridge; a historic place of trade with Constantinople that provided Venice with much of its wealth.
The square is the real heart of Venice and covers a thousand years of Venetian history. Napoleon referred to the Piazza as the ‘drawing room of Europe’; with such magnificent inspiration, our students set about drawing, photographing and exploring the Accademia quarter.
The afternoon was spent at The Accademia Gallery, the world’s most comprehensive collection of Venetian paintings, with collections from Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese. The students were able to sketch and photograph throughout the gallery.
The Scuola di San Rocco is one of the greatest sights in Venice. The interior is a shrine to Tintoretto and contains one of the finest painting cycles in the world. The students were able to spend time here sketching and taking photographs before moving on to another highlight of the trip – the Gondola ride!
After another drawing and photography workshop in the Accademia quarter followed by lunch the students went to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, one of Europe’s premier museums devoted to modern art.
We visited the oldest Jewish ghetto in Europe which is completely cut off from the rest of Venice by canals and gates that were locked during the curfews. Venice’s small Jewish community still live here but the feeling of emptiness was felt by all. We studied the Holocaust memorials designed by sculptor Arbit Blatas; one of the monuments is a bronze panel depicting the Last Train, the other monument has bronze reliefs that show the Nazi brutality against the Jews.
The island of Murano is famous for glass-making and we were able to watch a demonstration which was amazing! After time to shop, sketch and photograph we headed back to the ferry port to catch another boat to the Island of Burano, famous for its lace production and brightly coloured cottages. Again, free time was spent taking in the very different feel of the island, photographing and sketching before the boat transfer back to Venice.
The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is one of the greatest churches in Venice and the rather plain exterior did not prepare us for the riches inside! The magnificence of the artwork, monuments and tombs are jaw-dropping; we were all mesmerised, photographing and sketching until it was time to move on.
Next was a visit to an exciting exhibition, containing interactive models of Da Vinci’s inventions which gave the students plenty to ponder over the genius that Leonardo Da Vinci was.
After a final lunch and free time, we made our way home. A hugely successful and enjoyable trip.
Owned by: GMT | Last Published: 04/07/2018 08:14:36 | Next Update: NA
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