Academy Gallery (Gallerie dell'Accademia), Venice

I visited this place on my recent trip to Venice. For those of you who have been to the National Gallery in London, this place seems to be the Venetian equivalent; full of old masterpieces and religious art. It's not everyone's cup of tea, and whilst I appreciated the work I saw and admired its beauty, it is not the sort of thing that usually interests me. I am glad I saw it, as it is an important collection of work, but I found it difficult to get ...
...is 6.50 Euros, and the gallery is open from 8.15am until 7.15pm daily. It is open on most days but is closed on: 1sr Jan, 25th April, 1st May and 25th Dec. You can take small bags in with you, and there are lockers at the entrance where you can leave larger bags, as they are not allowed. Just ask someone at the desk if you are unsure.

You can get to the gallery on foot (if you have a good sense of direction!), or you can fo what we ... more

I visited this place on my recent trip to Venice. For those of you who have been to the National Gallery in London, this place seems to be the Venetian equivalent; full of old masterpieces and religious art. It's not everyone's cup of tea, and whilst I appreciated the work I saw and admired its beauty, it is not the sort of thing that usually interests me. I am glad I saw it, as it is an important collection of work, but I found it difficult to get anything really valuble from the experience.

Admission is 6.50 Euros, and the gallery is open from 8.15am until 7.15pm daily. It is open on most days but is closed on: 1sr Jan, 25th April, 1st May and 25th Dec. You can take small bags in with you, and there are lockers at the entrance where you can leave larger bags, as they are not allowed. Just ask someone at the desk if you are unsure.

You can get to the gallery on foot (if you have a good sense of direction!), or you can fo what we did and take the water bus(normally 5 Euros unless you have a pass). If you take the bus you also get a nice ride along the Grand Canal and have a chance to take some great pictures.

The building itself is quite large. There are 24 rooms altogether, and the work is mostly arranged in chronological order. In the corners of each room the are information sheets in English. These are very helpful, and will tell you all you need to know about each piece of work. I found these useful, because I do not know any Italian! I think my favourite room was the first one I went in as you first come into the gallery. It had a nice ceiling! See, it's not just the paintings, the buiding itself is quite impressive in places.

Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo works all feature amongst the gallery's collection, as well as work from different movements. Some of the paintings are amazing and huge, others are fairly small. You have to appreciate the time and effort spent in creating these elaborate masterpieces, even if you do not really feel a connection with the subject matter. From the point of view of someone who is interested in art, it is worth visiting for this reason.
Highlights of the collection include:
'Coronation of the Virgin', by Paulo Veneziano
Giovanni Bellini's 'San Giobbe Alterpiece'
Titian's 'Pieta'
Portraits by Rosalba Carriera (one of the rare female artists of the late Baroque period.)

There is a shop in the gallery, as there are in most, selling the usual things like books, postcards, and general souvenirs. The prices can be expensive, but this is to be expected in a gallery shop, and it is nothing out of the ordinary.

I am glad I went here, as I think it is definately worth a visit if you are in Venice already, but having seen it once I don't think I would go again. Would also be a bit of a bore for young children (lots of quiet, and not many places to sit). On the other hand, people who take an interest in classic art would be able to spend days in here! For people who prefer modern art, it is worth looking at, but you would probably be more in your element and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (also in Venice). So it depends on your interests as to whether or not this would be a valuble experience for you. 

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