Venice
Sunday, 21 August 2016My recent France and Italy drive continued from Grosseto to Venice. Of course Venice was as beautiful as ever …
▲ Whether you were looking across the lagoon to the Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore on the island of San Maggiore at sunset
▲ Or, a little later, directly across the Grand Canal to another church and an iconic one – the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute – as the moon rose. The church was built as a thank you for Venice avoiding an outbreak of the plague in 1630.
▲ Our visit coincided with the Festa del Redentore, another ‘thank you’ (along with the Il Redentore church), for deliverance from the plague. This time in 1576. As the sun sets and it begins to get dark hundreds of boats, packed with spectators gather in the lagoon.
▲ Because Redentore is celebrated with an amazing firework display. I was in Sydney for New Year’s Eve at the end of 2015 and the fireworks there are definitely spectacular. But I have to say Redentore in Venice was also wonderful, particularly when you’ve got that beautiful church in the viewfinder.
▲ I was in Venice last year and visited the art biennale, so it was appropriate that my 2016 visit coincided with the architecture equivalent. One of the favourites at the architecture biennale this year was the Australian pavilion which featured that symbol of Australian architecture, the swimming pool.
▲ Complete with the sign at the deep end of the public pool in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy.
