Part three of the 2016 visit to Venice in Italy.

We are still on this map:

Our walking tour today

Chiesa di San Rocco

The Chiesa di San Rocco or Church of Saint Roch was built between 1489 and 1508 by Bartolomeo Bon the Younger. It was substantially altered and received a baroque facelift in 1725 and the façade is 40 years younger and was designed by Bernardino Maccarucci. The church is one of the Plague-churches built in Venice.

The tower of the Chiesa di San Rocco in the back

The ceiling of the nave

The organ

The Dome and the apse were decorated by Il Pordenone

Main altar by Venturino Fantoni

Christ expels the merchants from the temple

Christ Healing the Paralytic painted by Tintoretto in 1559

San Rocco on top of the church

San Barnaba round the corner from Chiesa di San Rocco

On the right the tower of Santa Maria dei Carmini – in the back the twin towers of San Raffaele Arcangelo

Looking down the Rio Malpaga

At the Grand Canal

Lunchtime! Pizza and Beer: Perfect combination for lunch!

Maria somewhere at the Campo Della Carità

Looking down the Grand Canal to the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute – our next stop.

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute or Basilica of St. Mary of Health or as the people say La Salute, is one of the largest churches of Venice. The church has the status of a minor basilica. In 1630 Venice had an unusually devastating outbreak of the plague. It had killed about a third of Venice’s population so it was time for a new church. They dedicated the new church to Our Lady of Health or of Deliverance thus Santa Maria della Salute. That is why most of the objects of art bear references to the Black Death.

Construction of the church begun in 1631. The Church is a vast, octagonal building with two domes and a pair of bell-towers at the back of the main building. The platform is made of one million wood piles. The façade is constructed with Istrian stone and marmorino a brick covered with marble dust.

The church is full of Marian symbolism – the great dome represents her crown, the cavernous interior her womb, the eight sides the eight points on her symbolic star.

In the sacristy (Sacrestia Maggiore) you find a painting of the Marriage at Cana from Tintoretto which includes a self-portrait and is considered one of his best works. You should not miss it when you visit! But the most represented artist in La Salute is Titian. He painted St Mark Enthroned with SS Cosmas, Damian, Sebastian and Roch; the altarpiece of the sacristy; ceiling paintings of David and Goliath, Abraham and Isaac and Cain and Abel; eight tondi of the Doctors of the Church and the Evangelists and Pentecost in the nave.

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

Statue of the Virgin blessing the city

Over the entrance of Santa Maria della Salute

Detail from the Santa Maria della Salute

The main entrance of the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute – let’s go inside!

If you look at the outside with all the statues and decoration you expect a similar decoration inside the building. But inside the church is more restrained and perfectly proportioned. Unlike almost all the other churches in Venice this one is flooded with light.

View towards the High Altar with the holy icon of Panagia Mesopantitisa.

The high altar designed by Longhena bears a Byzantine Madonna and Child of the 12th or 13th century which was brought from Crete in 1670.

At the tip of the island, looking towards Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore

And the view over the Grand Canal towards San Marco

It was late afternoon – time to go back to the bus station. We went down at the canal towards the Cultural Flow Zone. But it was too hot in the sun, so we got back into the small streets. Zigzag from one bridge to another. The map on the phone did help a lot. We had a cold beer and some chips close to the Cultural Flow Zone. From there we walked east.

Campo San Tomá

The bell tower of the Chiesa di San Polo

Courtyard of the Casa di Carlo Goldini

Great! That is what I love in some parts of Asia as well.

San Simeone Profeta

Top of the San Simeone Piccolo

San Simeone Piccolo

Detail of the façade of the Scuola Grande

We had a final beer at the Ponte degli Scalzi. Just on the right of it is a small seating area next to the water. After that, it was time to get to the bus stop and back to Camping Village Jolly. Made some salad, had a glass of Red and did sleep very well after the shower.