DK Travel : Venice : History & Culture

Page
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

Giambattista Tiepolo

Tiepolo (1696–1770) is admired for his luminous poetic frescoes from the Rococo period, such as those in the Scuola Grande dei Carmini in Dorsoduro (see Scuola Grande dei Carmini).
Giardino Papadopoli

A leafy haven of twittering sparrows and flowerbeds close to Piazzale Roma and the car parks, these French-designed gardens date back to the 1800s when extravagant parties for the nobility were held here among exotic flowers and rare animals. Site of a demolished convent, it belonged to Corfu-born entrepreneurs, hence the Greek name. The public park was greatly reduced in size when the Rio Novo canal was excavated 1932–3.
Giorgione

Despite his brief life, Giorgione (1477–1510) produced memorable mood works, surpassing his master, Giovanni Bellini.
Giovanni Bellini

With his father Jacopo and brother Gentile, Giovanni (1430–1516) made Venice one of the greatest centres of Renaissance art. His trademarks are radiant Madonnas and serene St Peters.
Giovanni Casanova

This marvellous romantic figure (1725–98) was variously a diplomat, scholar, trainee priest, adventurer, gambler, notary’s clerk, violinist, womanizer, exile, millionaire, writer and spy. Casanova was imprisoned in the Doge’s Palace (see Doge’s Palace) on charges of being a magician, from where he effected an infamously daring escape.
Greeks

Since 1498 the longest surviving group, still active with their own church.
Henry James

The leitmotif of this US novelist (1843–1916) was the contrast between what he saw as the spontaneity of the New World and the staidness of Europe. Between 1872 and 1909 he compiled Italian Hours , a “travel diary” with plenty of comments on Venice.
Hotel Danieli

An enchanting 15th-century palace with a pink Gothic façade set on the magnificent water-front near Piazza San Marco. After a string of aristocratic proprietors, it was taken over in 1822 by Joseph da Niel, who turned it into a hotel with an illustrious guest list, including Dickens, Wagner and Ruskin. In the 1940s an annexe was added amid great controversy – since 1102 no dwelling over one floor had been allowed on the site. The redeeming feature of the new wing is the roof restaurant (see Hotel Danieli).
Jacopo Tintoretto

The great Mannerist of the late Renaissance, Tintoretto (1518–94) produced huge, glowing canvases, seen at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco (see Scuola Grande di San Rocco).
Jewish Ghetto

The word “ghetto” originated in Venice, derived from getto (casting) due to an old iron foundry here. As of 1492 many Jewish refugees reached Venice after expulsion from Spain and in 1527 they were obliged by law to move to this area. Subject to a curfew to prevent their fraternizing with local women, they slept behind locked gates, their island circled by an armed patrol boat. Waves of arrivals saw each language group build its own synagogue (five in all) and raise the lowceilinged buildings to seven floors in height. Today 33 Jews still live in the ghetto, while a further 450 reside in other parts of the city. The synagogues can be visited with a guide and there’s a museum of sacred objects.