Just in the very beginning of travel plans to Venice in April 2017. We've never been and could use advice. We will start out in London and onto Venice, and perhaps other cities in Italy. I'm am an art history lecturer and the treasure trove of art in Italy is overwhelming to me. I'm not sure where to begin, but after our time in Italy we will need to fly back to London and finish our trip
Suggestions would be most appreciated.
Thank you,
first time traveler to Italy - looking for art
You could spend an entire Schengen quota of days in Venice and not see it all.
Besides the biggies (Correr, Academia, Doge's Palace), all the churches and scuolas like the Frari (Titian) and the Scuola Dalmata di San Giorgio (Carpaccio).
If art and history is your thing, then Venice, Florence, and Rome (in this exact order, flying into Venice and out of Rome, and using the trains in between) would be a good way to start your Italian experience.
However it's hard to give advice not knowing how many nights on the Italian soil you have at your disposal.
The very bare absolute minimum, in my opinion, would be 2 nights in Venice, 2 nights in Florence and 3 nights in Rome (and that is only to scratch the surface for an art history lover).
Roberto's question is crucial.
I teach a course in Christian art. Major art cities for me: Venezia, Firenze, Siena, Ravenna, Assisi, Roma, Milano.
Many art highlights in Venice, whether they're in their original church/palace location or at Venice's Accademia museum, are Venetian in origin (excepting Peggy Guggenheim's modern art collection). So rather than going deep in one city for your whole trip, you probably want to go broader, to include other regions and artists. I assume that Florence and Rome are high on your list (and remind you that the top couple of art museums in those cities warrant reserving ahead, once 2017 rolls around).
1/2 hour train ride Venezia to Padova, where the Scrovegni Chapel is located - reservations required. (that is, for visiting the Chapel, not for the train.)
If you could push your visit back to late May, the 2017 Arts Biennale will be under way. Generally very avant grade stuff, and you might enjoy it. You would need two days to do the Biennale justice.
I'm headed to Venice in September this year for the Architecture Biennale. I'm allowing a couple of weeks to get around it.
"the treasure trove of art in Italy is overwhelming to me."
Indeed it is. So, you will want to take as long as you can in the country. I agree with Roberto's advice as a start, and with the other posters' lists of other places to add if you have more time. But accept that you cannot see it all in a lifetime, much less one trip. Prepare now that you will only get a small taste on a single visit, and then start saving money and vacation time to return.
It's kind of hard to offer any real advise if we don't know how much time you have for Italy.
I did a 14 day trip Italy last fall and spent 4 full days in Venice (side trips to the mountains, Vicenza and Padua), 4 full days in Florence (side trips to the Chianti region of Tuscany and Pisa/Lucca), and 3 full days in Rome. Although we had been to Venice and Florence before, I still wish we had spent more time in each. Rome will be a repeat of at least a week next time...
If you have the luxury of that kind of time (or more), I would recommend staying in apartments versus hotels. It makes life much comfortable. You can spread our a bit and have a sanctuary in which to relax between major sightseeing events.
In Italy, every church is packed with artwork. I think I read or heard somewhere that the Vatican City contains over 70,000 pieces of art - almost all historic in nature. So, it is very overwhelming.
Something else to remember, most museums in Italy are closed on Monday and a lot of the churches have reduced hours on Sunday (for worship services). Also, the big museums have reservation systems. So, you need to plan accordingly.
