Power and Glory in Venetian Art: Titian and Tintoretto

Meet your guide in the San Polo neighborhood for this 3-hour walking tour that explores the works of Titian and Tintoretto, two giants of the late Renaissance in Venice. The beauty of seeing art in La Serenissima, the common nickname for Venice, is that many of the works are still in the same places where they were originally intended to be seen.

This tour focuses on the neighborhood of San Polo. Visit the various churches and scuole, or schools, where works by Tintoretto and Titian still hang. The schools were inspired by Christian charity and committed themselves to spiritual assistance for all in the name of their patron saint. There were six Scuole Grandi (Great Schools): Misericordia, San Giovanni Evangelista, Carità, San Marco, San Rocco and San Teodoro. The Scuole Grandi erected monumental buildings, within which they placed many works representing some of the highest episodes of Venetian art.

At the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, view more than 50 paintings by Tintoretto as the guide explains the significance of the paintings and of Tintoretto himself, putting the painter into his historical and artistic contexts. Next, visit the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista to view the works of Gentile Bellini, a predecessor of Titian and Tintoretto, allowing you to see the techniques these two painters borrowed from earlier artists.

Next door is the towering Chiesa dei Frari, built by the Franciscans. Wander inside to look at two very important works by Titian, the altarpieces The Assumption of Mary and the Madonna di Ca’ Pesaro. At the end of the tour, you’ll have a better appreciation of these two artists and of Venice.