8.28.2012 Venice, Italy (Day 3)

And top of the morning to you!

Unfortunately, this post will be light on photos. 

Gallerie dell'Accademia  

Both the building exterior and some of the interior was/is undergoing renovation, hence the lack of exterior photos. Consequently, general admission was discounted (11 euros instead of 14). Photographs are not allowed inside the gallery.  

The gallery is divided into Rooms I-XXIV and each room have detailed laminated guides in both English and Italian. Unfortunately, the English guides in most rooms seem to have absconded over the years.

I only had two hours, which wasn't nearly enough time, especially since Rooms 13, 14, 16, and 23 were closed due to renovations. 

Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man was not on display when I visited (Drat!) 

If you ever visit the Accademia, lift your head and check out the ceiling in Room I. You're in for a treat/shock. 

Hundreds of cherubs (heads with wings but no bodies) stare back at you. Each angel has a slightly different facial expression. So awesome! At the same time, so creepy!

One of my favourites is The Legend of Saint Ursula ("Storie di sant'Orsola") by Vittore Carpaccio. The series of nine paintings tells of the story of St. Ursula. Check it out here.

Carlo Goldoni's House

I have to confess that I did not know who Carlo Goldoni was and the only reason why we visited this museum was because one group member really needed to visit the washroom.

The museum itself was really small but quaint, comprised of three exhibition rooms. 

Carlo Goldini was a famous Venetian playwright, a contemporary of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette. There are those who calls him the "Father of Modern Italian Theatre."

The museum houses a collection of his childhood puppets, which are quite amazing to look at. The amount of details that went into them. Definitely not your nowadays Barbie.

Ca'Pesaro - Modern (19-20th Century) and Oriental Art

Again, no photos inside the museum. The best I could do was a snapshot of the gate. 

Ca'Pesaro was nice but I prefer the Accademia. I just don't think I've learned to appreciate modern art the way they are supposed to be appreciated.

The Oriental Art floor was dimly lit making it difficult to see all the details on the pieces displayed.

Palazzo Mocenigo
This museum has A LOT of potential. However, when we went, it was under heavy renovation and many of the displays were mid-dressed (Literally, the display mannequins were only semi-decent.) The strange thing was, the museum itself wasn't closed, we just weren't allowed to go into any of the exhibition rooms. So we basically popped into the entrance hall and popped right back out again. I left, feeling slightly cheated by this museum but hopeful the next time I visit, it will exceed my expectations.

Some random photos of Venice, to make up for the lack of visuals in this post.

 

 

It was a relatively short day as we had to check in with our cruise ship that day. I had booked a water taxi to pick us up but there was a mix up (which apparently happens a lot with online taxi reservations.) I definitely have to give a shout-out to our hotel's one-and-only female concierge. She helped us out A LOT. Grazie!