Revving Up/Winding Down

Some people, on their last few days in Venice, might just relax and hang out. Phil, on his last few days in Venice, decided to see everything in the city that we hadn't already seen. I went along for the ride.

We visited St. Pantalon, a small, ornately decorated 16th century church dedicated to the early Christian martyr and physician who after his conversion decided to heal in Christ's name rather than with science (such as it was). He was accused of magic, and authorities tried to torture him, but the whips broke, the hot oil cooled, the wheel cracked, and when they tied a stone to him and threw him in the sea he floated. They tried to behead him, and the ax broke. At last, tired of the whole thing, he told them to go ahead and take his head off, and they did so. Milk flowed from the cut. Somehow this story made me think of RFK Jr., and not in a good way.

The ceiling of the church boasts the largest oil painting in the world, by Giovanni Antonio Fumiani, detailing the saint's martyrdom and apotheosis. It covers 4,768 square feet. It's really very big. The artist fell to his death putting on the final touches. This also made me think of RFK Jr.

After a short rest I went out to see San Marco, having missed the earlier visit due to excessive bacteria. It was not exactly uncrowded, but also not jam-packed, and for the first time I was able to take my time looking around and see how truly exquisite the interior of the basilica is.

Phil bought the first sweater he has purchased in decades, at my (extreme) urging. It's very nice, though made of Italian wool so it will itch and I'll shrink it in the wash. Then we had a fabulous dinner of risotto for two with cremini mushrooms and smoked pork cheeks that almost made up for the six miles we'd walked.

Wednesday we set out for a museum in Castello and happened upon the Byzantine Icon Museum, with two large rooms filled with dozens of Venetian Orthodox religious paintings on gold backgrounds from the 14th through the 18th century. Completely unexpected and quite wonderful. 

Next door was the beautiful Orthodox church of St. Gregorio, filled with still more icons, which we admired before heading to the Scuola Dalmata.

The Scuola, funded by wealthy 16th century Dalmations, was dedicated to St. George and St. Trifone, and featured many large Carpaccio paintings of George and his dragon and Trifone and his basilisk. 

Then it was on to the Palazzo Mocenigo, a 17th century palace/costume museum/perfume museum. The rooms were filled with baroque furniture and some costumes from the time, along with perfume-making instruments.

The museum also featured a most peculiar exhibit of the history of Japanese kimonos. We found this interesting but confusing.

Palazzo Mocenigo is in the sestiere of San Croce, where we stayed three years ago. We wended our way to that lovely apartment building and the square outside (we didn't stay there this time because it was in a very old, high-ceiling palace that would have been quite chilly in January). We took a traghetto back -- a gondola that goes across the Grand Canal for a mere 2 euros -- and ate pizza, which though Venetian pizza isn't the best (they can't use wood-burning ovens so no crispy crusts) almost made up for the six miles we'd walked. Again.