Walking tour, Peggy Guggenheim, Day18
We finish our breakfast in a beautiful courtyard connected to hotel. Brilliant. Time to get to the Royal Gardens for the start of our walking tour. A little tour group starts to gather. We are issued with in- ear headphones and a receiver. A few of us struggle with the audio quality, but off we go with a knowledgeable tour guide (3 years training and accreditation). Alot of time is initially spent around St Mark’s Square, taking in the historical backstories relating to the Doges Palace, the Basillica Church (we actually got to go into the Church briefly) and the admin buildings connected with the Square. Off to the back of the Doges Palace is the Bridge of Sighs, a pathway to one of the Palace prisons that contains windows for a final view of freedom, hence the resultant sighs by the prisoners before they are incarcerated. Inspiration for Robin Trower’s successful album of the same name. We are actually standing in the spot where Venice was established in the third to seventh centuries. Pretty amazing. The history of Venice is one of commercial success, in turn attracting all of the art and investment and architecture. In addition there are massive elements of religion, politics, money and corruption. Sound familiar? We then zip out of the Square and go into the labyrinth of little alleys and canals. Alot of sights. In actual fact all of the backstories seem pretty logical explanations of how certain buildings and events came to be established. Its all about getting the context. We actually saw the house and immediate area where Marco Polo lived in the 12th century. Marco Polo! How good was this? The great merchant traveller/ trader of all traders of his era. Tour finished we make our way back to the Square and grab some lunch. In the afternoon we head for the Peggy Guggenheim art museum. Her own private art collection housed in her former home. For starters, Pollock , Dali, Picasso, Warhol. Amazing the sort of interests that you can cultivate in life when you don’t have to work and you have unlimited income tumbling in from family mining and smelting interests in the USA.
andy warhol
walking tour
marco polo’s house
gazlington 