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ITI ES OF RT
shops. Altogether, there are about 150
canals, crossed by 400 stone bridges,
of which the most well-known and
romantic is the Bridge of Sighs, built
in 1600 to give access to a prison.
The city is divided into six districts,
or “sestieri”. The “calli”, narrow and
winding streets, connect the “campi”
or “campielli” in the central part of
the islands, to the “fondamenta”, the
streets flanking the canals. The result
is a unique urban network, extraordi-
narily rich in spectacular effects and
picturesque views.
c
No other mercantile state has left
so much of its past history behind its
superb buildings and paintings. The
banks of the Grand Canal are flanked
by splendid palaces, among which the
Ca’ d’Oro which, like the Doge’s Pal-
ace, is in the sophisticated and elegant
Venetian variant of Gothic. The affini-
ties with Byzantium are indicated by
the Lions of Saint Mark and by the 11th
century Byzantine-Romanesque cathe-
dral with its five domes and numerous
mosaics on a background of gold. The
famous horses on the façade, in hand-
beaten copper, are a Greek work of
the time of Augustus, and were looted
from the hippodrome in Constantino-
ple during the Fourth Crusade, along
with the central bronze door.
The great school of Venetian painting,
which flourished from Bellini in the
late 15th century to Tiepolo in the
18th, is reflected in the collection at
the Galleria dell’Accademia, in the
School of San Rocco, and in most
of the churches, where oeuvres by
Tintoretto are to be seen by the score.
Many of the private Palazzi also boast
works of the Venetian school, while
the Doge’s Palace can scarcely be
surpassed for its paintings on walls
and ceilings, including Tintoretto’s
enormous Paradise, which is the larg-
est painting on canvas in the world.
1
Why did the inhabitants of the Roman region of Venetia escape from the
mainland?
2
How was Venice governed?
3
When did it reach the height of its power?
4
What caused its decline?
5
What does Venice’s unusual urban network consist of?
6
What is its backbone?
7
In what ways did Venice represent a bridge between the western and
eastern world?
8
Where can we admire the works of the most important painters of the
Venetian school?
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