Author: donorione

If you are planning a visit or a vacation in Venice during the Christmas season, you can experience the city like the Venetians do since the crowds of the tourist season are gone. Why don’t tour the churches with the paintings of the Nativity?
In the Church of san Giuseppe di Castello, on the tympanum above the portal, there is a bas-relief representing The Adoration of the Magi by Giulio dal Moro. On the main altar, the Adoration of the Shepherds is the work of Paolo Veronese; another of his paintings, the Nativity of Christ , is in the Church of san Sebastiano.
And the discovery continues: in the Church of santa Maria dei Carmini, Nativity with Saints by Cima da Conegliano; in the Church of san Nicolò dei Mendicoli the Adoration of the Magi by Alvise Benfatto; in the Church of san Trovaso, the Adoration of the Magi by Domenico Tintoretto and in the Church of san Zaccaria, the Adoration of the Shepherds by Antonio Balestra; in the Basilica of San Giovanni e Paolo the Adoration of the Shepherds by Paolo Veronese.
The Nativity by Tiepolo can be admired in the ceiling of the Church of santa Maria del Rosario (Gesuati) while in the Gallerie dell’Accademia the Triptych of the Nativity by Giovanni Bellini and in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, the Adoration of the Shepherds by Jacopo Tintoretto. Do not skip the Museum of Icons where you can admire the Nativity scene in an icon from the second half of the 15th century.
In the Church of Scalzi, near Venice railway station, on show two glass cribs, Murano Glass Christmas from December 16th to January 20th 2018. Other nativity scenes in the Terra dei Tiepolo in various locations in the mainland.

From “DeTourism”

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, especially for children, and to spend it in Venice adds magic to it, as Venice at Christmas is the city as it exists for locals.

The calendar of Le Città in Festa for Christmas offers a wide choice.

Do not miss Christmas markets in Venice and in the Metropolitan City! You can choose among Venezia Christmas Village in Campo Santo Stefano (until January 7, 2018) or in Campo San Polo (from December 8 to February 13, 2018) and the Antiques Fair at Campo San Maurizio on December 8,9,10. Visit the Christmas Markets in Mestre until December 30 or Jesolo Christmas Village until January 7, 2018. Here is a selection of the best street markets!

Christmas shopping in Venice is a unique opportunity to provide you with exclusive ideas thanks to its unique handmade gifts and handicraft. My Christmas Venice, in Dorsoduro, offers the authentic tradition with music, street markets, workshops and events for children and you can pick up very special gifts.

 

From “DeTourism”

The first Sunday of each month is #DOMENICALMUSEO MUSEI FREE FOR ALL in state museums in Italy.

The state museums of Venice are:

• Monumental Halls of the Marciana National Library

• Giorgio Franchetti Gallery at the Ca ‘d’Oro

• Galleries of the Academy of Venice

• Palazzo Grimani

• Museum of Oriental Art in Venice

• Archaeological Museum of Venice

• Archaeological Museum of Quarto d’Altino

Our selection of museums and exhibitions in Venice that you can visit for free in December 2017:

• Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation – Piazza San Marco Gallery until 3 December 2017, Palazzetto Tito – Dorsoduro until 3 December 2017

• Marciana National Library – Free guided tours every second Sunday of the month (advance booking is required)

• Free guided tours of the Palazzetto Bru Zane – Center de musique romantique française every Thursday at 2.30 pm in Italian at 3.00 pm in French at 3.30 pm in English. (Reservations required).

• Vittorio Zecchin: Transparent glass for Cappellin and Venini, Le Stanze del Vetro, Giorgio Cini Foundation, Island of San Giorgio Maggiore until 8 January 2018

“The winter light in this city! It has the extraordinary property of enhancing your eye’s power of resolution to the point of microscopic precision […] The sky is brisk blue; the sun, escaping its golden likeness beneath the foot of San Giorgio, sashays over the countless fish scales of the laguna’s lapping ripples; […]

It’s a private light, the light of Giorgione or Bellini, not the light of Tiepolo or Tintoretto. And the city lingers in it, savoring its touch, the caress of the infinity whence it came.”

Josef Brodskij – Fondamenta degli Incurabili (Adelphi)

Visiting Venice in winter, grasping its atmosphere, lights, subdued colours, water splashing, smells, footsteps bouncing and echoing, in the only time of the year with few tourists, can make you discover and savour a different, more secret,  true dimension. Then get lost in the labyrinthine alleys, take refuge in museums, galleries, palaces and churches, search for the lights of the great painters and experience these magical and intimate atmosphere. If fog swirls around or it’s chilly and there is acqua alta, (high tide) follow the smells of savoury cooked food and have a snack and take a rest.

From “DeTourism”