PH by Joan Porcel Pascual
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The Doge of Venice Antonio Grimani in the art and history
Antonio Grimani’s career was controversial. A capable merchant, he obtained a considerable wealth to be then cast aside and be banished from Venice, to turn then powerful again and reach the highest position in political life in Venice as Doge. We can retrace his ups and downs in life in the wonderful painting by Titian and in the palace of the his famous nephew, Patriarch Giovanni Grimani, today a great State museum.
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THE REDENTORE CONVENT GARDENS
Brimming with calm and silence, beauty and peace, the Redentore Garden is dotted with fruit and ornamental trees, luscious greenery, fruits and vegetables, stunning flowers, and a breathtaking view of the southern Venetian lagoon and its islands.
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The Church of Saints John and Paul – Discovering the Largest Church in Venice
Discovering the largest church in Venice: the Church of Saints John and Paul, the place where the funerals of the doges were celebrated and the temple where some among the most illustrious protagonists of Venetian history were buried.
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Venetian Ballade
A Venetian ballade, poetry and images. Photos of Venice, its colours, its exceptional light and reflections. Recalling the art of the past and the ancestral power of water.
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Glass Design: from the Furnaces of Murano to Renaissance Canvases (and back)
Let us take a special tour of the Accademia Galleries to discover the beautiful glass objects painted in some masterpieces of the Venetian Renaissance. You will find out that an artist like Veronese is copied by modern designers, and that some very ancient shapes are still produced nowadays in the furnaces of Murano!
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Peace Rose in the garden of a Venetian palace
The Peace Rose with its delicate ivory-yellow colour tending to cream with slightly crimson-pink edged petals is considered one of the most famous roses. Read how Mr Meilland bred the rose in France shortly before ww2 and how it survived being given different names. Admire it in a private Venetian garden.
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A brand new fancy clock for the glorious Republic of Venice
Since time immemorial men have tried to measure time in order to organize social life, but in the Middle Ages mechanical clocks became the protagonists in cities, and the one in St Mark’s Square of Venice, is certainly one of the most fascinating clocks of the 15th century.
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Shoemaking industry: an ancient tradition still alive in Venice. Stories of artisans, saints and maecenas
The history of the guild of shoemakers proves that in past centuries the presence of guilds in Venice was important for lower classes who thus became part of the commercial system of the city. Read about how the seat of these Venetian ‘calegheri’, shoemakers and how this ancient tradition continues still nowadays thanks to Mr Luigino Rossi in the museum of the Villa Foscarini and in several other activities.
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Walking in Venice on a ‘marble carpet’
Ancient Venetian floors resemble precious carpets made of marble and stone; the oldest examples with geometrical patterns or allegorical figures can be admired in the churches of Murano, Torcello and San Marco in Venice. Learn about Venetian ‘terrazzo’ and ‘pastellon’ floors, about the marvellous floors in Ca’ D’Oro planned by Baron Franchetti and about the modern floors with mosaics of Carlo Scarpa in the Querini Stampalia Foundation.
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Titian’s ‘Assunta’ in the Frari, a revolutionary manifesto
Titian is the undisputed genius of Venetian painting, considered to be one of the founders of modern painting. Taking a look at some of his works in Venice will not only provide us with a feast for the eyes, but will also help us understand the reason behind his fame.
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