There were snow showers today, but it actually felt warmer because the wind had died. It was fortunate that we followed Rick Steves’ advice and got our tickets for the Ducale Palace yesterday at the Correr Museum. The line to buy tickets snaked out of sight; we walked right in. The snow moved everyone to indoor venues. The palace embraces a courtyard from 3 sides. The architecture is a mixture of gothic & renaissance due to fires, rebuilding, decorating with plunder. But it all seems to work. The exterior has a nice blend of Gothic and Moorish design which is referred to as Venetian Renaissance. The Palace housed the Doge & family as well as all the governmental offices and halls. The Doge was elected for life and was really a figure head unless he could secure power separate from his office. The rooms in the apartment, the senate, the collegio, etc. were very oppulent; walls were covered in paintings by Veronese, Titian, Tintoretto, Carpaccio, Bellini; ceilings were a mass of gold leaf and more paintings. It’s the closest I’ve come to feeling literally absorbed into painting No photos were allowed. You’ll just have to come see for yourselves! The palace leads to and over the Bridge of Sighs given its name because of the lamentations of prisoners being led over it to their executions. I was lamenting over my hunger so we had a nice lunch and then went to search for the Scuola Schianveni. In this small school is the Carpaccio pictorial cycle St George and the Dragon. The paintings, in situ, fill the sides and front of the space. There are 8 canvases which depict the myth in narrative format. The first canvas depicts the slaying. The princess is praying, George is slaying, & victim remains are decaying. It’s great!!!
Heard on the street from a reveler when her lover dropped his hat and had difficulty retrieving it, “He’s not really old. He’s just ruined”. Followed by gales of laughter.
