Fondaco dei Tedeschi

The fondaco (a word of Arabic origin meaning store-house) has a square plan on three levels facing a central courtyard.  Now the courtyard is covered by a glass and steel structure.

The Piece Hall in Halifax has three floors facing a central square.  Both have small rooms for selling goods, in Halifax it was pieces of wool on a Saturday morning between 9am and noon when the bell was rung to stop trading.  Recently refurbished it's the last of it's kind in Europe.

But what similarities to the fandaco?

Now both are tourist attractions with shops!

Originally it was a cobbled courtyard, but has now been covered with Italian marble to make a social space and suitable for entertainment.

Views from the roof terrace.

The original banking area.

Ca' d'Oro

Towards San Marco.

Over the rooftops towards the Frari.

Isola San Servolo

Tuesday it finally stopped raining and the sun came out. But it was bitterly cold. I went to Isola San Servolo which was a mental hospital. Originally for the wealthy was later expanded to all. The museum was very upsetting with instruments used to aid recovery. But there were photographs of before and after the people arrived and they did look to have improved.

Views from the boat and the island.

Tre Oci

Photos today from the new photography exhibition at Tre Oci. A renowned Venetian photographer, Fulvio Roiter. After seeing these amazing photographs, especially of Venice it makes me wonder why I bother to take any!!!

Then along the fondamenta and the rubbish washed up after last nights aqua alta.

Scuola San Giorgio

You've probable seen some of these before, but as it's one of my favourite places in Venice of course I had to visit it again last Friday.  A friend Caroline came with me, she hadn't visited it before.  There are an amazing cycle of paintings by Carpaccio about St George, St Typhoon and St Jerome.

This is a lovely old door just opposite the scull.

The relief over the door.

St George protecting the girl, below, from the huge dragon.

The deflated, dead dragon.

A selection of some of the other paintings.

St jerome & others fleeing from the lion.

In the original drawing the dog was a ferret, but was changed in the final painting.

The altarpiece in the upstairs chapel.

A lovely concert on Saturday at 5pm.  A Swedish choir with a small Venetian orchestra.  The highlight was Vivaldi's Gloria, one of my favourite pieces of music.