Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The Big Top

On this bonus leap year day, we went to Ca d'Za, the home of John Ringling. According to their website, the home is “the last of the Gilded Age mansions to be built in America, Ca' d’Zan has 56 incredible rooms filled with art and original furnishings. With its Venetian Gothic architecture, the mansion is a combination of the grandeur of Venice’s Doge’s Palace, combined with the gothic grace of Cà d’Oro, with Sarasota Bay serving as its Grand Canal." On the grounds is the Ringling Museum built by John Ringling to house his personal collection of masterpieces. It features paintings and sculptures including Rubens, van Dyck, Velázquez, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, El Greco, Gainsborough and more. We were greatly impressed by the holdings and the grounds. Most beautiful was the courtyard filled with casts of original antiquities and renaissance sculptures, including the David by Michelangelo. We ended the day on the beach with all the other sunset lovers. For more pictures visit my flicker