Canareggio area, Venice

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The church of Saint Apostles has been founded in 643, built on a site where St. Magnus saw twelve cranes, after an apparition of the tvelwe apostles told him to look for this sign. The church was rebuilt in 1020 but destroyed in fire in 1105 and rebuilt. It was rebuilt and restored again inthe several times.
The church is dominated by its high bell tower and the domed exterior of the corner chapel. Santi Apostoli has a luminous altarpiece by Gianbatistta Tiepolo.

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Just across the canale of Tintoretto’s house is “his” church Madonna dell’Orto. Already built in 1377, but those days she was a church devoted to St. Christopherus, saint of the traders. When a statue of the madonna was discovered in a nearby kichen garden (orto in Italian, hence the name), she was modified and devoted to Maria. This statue is now in Capella San Mauro (right hand side of the altar, where also Tintoretto’s grave is). But there is still a statue of St. Christopherus on the arch over the entrance portal. And also the fraternity Scuola dei Mercanti (photo 5) is next to the church (left hand side; west), as this area of Venezia was home to the traders.
The Gothic front façade is very symmetrical and elaborate. Two pillars left and right have little pinnacles with statues of Maria (photo 3); three ones on top of the central nave part of the portal do show three virtues. And the sides are decorated with the 12 apostles. I liked the long windows most and took several photos – but the main photo shows these best: white marble from Istria and red Veronese one. The campanile has a very strange (well, strange for Venezia) round top, almost like the onion domes in Bavaria, Austria and Russia.
The church does not have an aisle, thus appears quite long. Several paintings of Tintoretto can be admired all over in the church. Photography is not allowed inside (as in most of the churches), but the website below (even if it is in Italian) gives you quite a good idea of the interior. Make sure, you click on vista 2D della chiesa at the top; this is linked to an interactive map and some numbers are linked with the paintings or statues inside.
Website of the parish itself: Parrocchia della Madonna dell’Orto.

Opening hours: Mon – Sat, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: 2,50 €, unless you have the Chorus Pass, in which it is included.

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Chiesa Santa Maria dei Miracoli is called the most beautiful example of Italian early Renaissance. And she is very much impressing indeed. As she is “standing free” on all sides, which is unusual for Venezia (most of the churches have buildings attached to at least one side), the whole exterior can be marvelled at and should be. Pietro Lombardo has built her in 1481-1489, and he has carefully selected the pieces of marble for the exterior, so that in a whole it looks more like painted than being of stone. Maybe this “pattern” could have been the origin for the marble paper, for which Venezia is also famous for. In addition to these marble rectangles, he used round ornaments of green and red marble for the façade (photo 1). We will meet these all over Venezia, and they are somehow a sign for this building period (on San Michele, at Scuola di San Marco, at several palazzi along Canal Grande).
Above the entrance portal is a staute of Maria and the child and several other exquisite statues and reliefs are placed carefully (so that it does not “destroy” the appearance) on the outside. Inside the church is breathtaking – the tunnel vault is gold plated and has many paintings of saints embedded in. The altar area is elevated, more than in any other church I saw so far and on the left side is the painting of Maria, the one that gave the church its name: a miraculous madonna. Note the marvellous marble floor and all the other marble and other stone elements !
Photography is not allowed inside (as in most of the churches), but the website below (even if it is in Italian) gives you quite a good idea of the interior.

Opening hours: Mon – Sat, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: 2,50 €, unless you have the Chorus Pass, in which it is included.

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If you think of Venice as the image of two holding hands, then the Cannaregio area would sort of be the knuckles on the top hand. Our hotel was located in that area, and what I enjoyed so much about it is that we only had to take a few steps in any direction other than Strada Nuova (the main street that runs through the area) and we'd find ourselves walking along lovely quiet streets. One evening, we decided to walk up Fondamenta di San Giobbe in search of a restaurant. Unfortunately for me, most restaurants in that area specialize in fish and seafood, which I don't eat. However, we did discover what is perhaps the best spot in all of Venice to watch sunsets: all you need to do is go all the way to the end of the street until you reach the water - trust me, you won't regret making the quick detour!

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Going on a guided tour of Venice's old Jewish ghetto is one of the most interesting things we got to do during our trip to Italy. In 1516, at a time when Jews were being driven out of many European cities, the Republic of Venice decided to accept them, but it did so under rather strict conditions: all Jewish people would have to live on a small island which they would not be allowed to leave from nightfall until dawn. During the day, those who had business in the city would have to identify themselves by wearing a bright yellow shirt or hat. Also, their choice of profession was restricted to the following options: doctor, money lender or merchant. Since the area where they lived used to be known as the foundry district, the Italian word for foundry, "geto", eventually became "ghetto" - and thus the world's very first Jewish ghetto was born.

It costs 8.50 Euros to go on a guided tour of the ghetto, which also includes a visit to the small Jewish museum (it mostly includes religious objects and vestments), and a tour of three of the ghetto's five historic synagogues (one of which was featured in the 2004 film adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", starring Al Pacino as Shylock). Our guide spoke excellent English and was very knowledgeable, explaining how life was back when thousands of people lived in the ghetto. Space was so limited on the island that big families had no other option but to live in very close quarters, and this problem actually gave rise to the city's sole "skyscraper". Our guide also gave us some information about the current Jewish community in and around Venice - although most Jewish families moved to other parts of the city when the ghetto was finally abolished in 1866, with a majority of them living in Mestre, the old ghetto remains the community's social and spiritual center. Definitely something to put on your list of things to do in Venice!

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CANNAREGIO
In a corner of Campo Ghetto Nuovo, there is a wall on which are 7 black rectangles. Closer inspection reveals that these are bas reliefs depicting 'scenes from the Holocaust'. I initially thought they appeared to have been carved from coal - they are actually bronze.

I found these to be quite harrowing - one shows a blindfolded Jew facing a firing squad, another shows gangs of emaciated Jews working in the mines, yet another shows a train with Jews being transported to concentration camps.

Since my return home I've found that these are the work of Arbit Blatas - who was born to Russian Jewish parents in Kaunas, Lithuania.

He was a gifted artist as well as sculpturer and a designer of Opera stages.

He escaped from the Nazis to New York in 1941, sadly his mother perished in the Holocaust.
Arbit died in 1999 after a lifetime of achievements for his work.

His 'Memorial of the Holocaust' was unveiled in the Campo Ghetto Nuovo in 1979.

It is dedicated to the night in December 1943, when the first 200 Venetian Jews were rounded up for deportation - of 289 that were deported only 7 returned, having escaped death in the concentration camps and gas chambers.

The plaques are named Deportation, The Final Solution, Execution in the Ghetto, Punishment, Crystal Night, The Revolt of the Warsaw Ghetto and The Quarry

Click on this Link to see these in detail.

There is also a poem by Andre Tranc that commemorates the lives of the Venetian Jews that were deported to the Nazi death camps in 1943 and 44

CANNAREGIO
VAPORETTO_GUGLIE

Walking along Calle di Ghetto Vecchio, keep an eye out for this carved stone plaque, above No 1131.

As you can imagine, life in the ghetto was pretty miserable - overcrowded, movement outside restricted, exploitation, financial penalties, not being allowed to own property etc. Although some might consider that the Venetian Jews were safer than some of their community in other parts of Europe (At a cost-security was issued through blackmail) many tried to leave. One way was to convert to Christianity.

This plaque-dating from the 18th century is a warning to converted Jews, setting out a list of punishments , should they attempt to enter the ghetto .
Apparently It translates as "to enter or to practice any activity under any pretext whatsoever in this city....on pain of hanging, imprisonment, whipping or pillory"

I'm not sure who issued this warning though.

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CANNAREGIO
VAPORETTO_GUGLIE

In Campo Ghetto Nuova, is this Sottoportego (A passageway under a building)- if you walk under it you'll find two things of interest.

Firstly a doorway with the number 2912. Above the door, on the lintel, the wording Banco Rosso can be seen
Jews in Venice were limited to 3 choices of employment- Medicine, dealing in used/ second hand clothing and Money lending.
The money lenders operated from stalls set up in this Campo- The colours of their receipts being their form of identification- hence Banco Rosso (Red Bank)

At night, the ghetto was sealed by a series of locked gates- it was also located on an island, so was easier to police. Christian watchmen were employed on guard duty-their wages paid by the Jewish community. The only people allowed outside these gates at night were doctors.
In picture 3 you can see the marks left in the stonework by the hinges from the gates.