A couple of 'art' destinations - St Francis and the plague

In another district of Venice, but next to each other, were two tourist sites. The Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa del Frari (St Francis of Asissi to you and me) and the Scuola Grande de San Rocco - the plague fraternity. Both were all about artists - Titian and Tintoretto respectively.

The plague fraternity was by far the more interesting background but I did not appreciate Tintotetto's art much. He was audacious in his bidding for projects, presenting the committee with a finished painting for a ceiling rather than just the drafts; he painted quickly so was very prolific; he spent 20 years painting the two floors of the Scuola for example; and he introduced movement and drama into the art world. I still didn't like his paintings. I did appreciate the wooden carvings beneath the big works, which represented the vices and virtues.

This one was curiosity, I think

The plague confraternity was formed in the 1400s as a middle-class-level NGO to support the victims of plague, or more correctly their families. They raised money, spent a lot of it on art and buildings, but generally did good and are still operating, with a membership of about 300. There were 6 confraternities for different causes, but only this once survives. The patron saint of plague was San Roche or Rocco. There were, of course, repeated plagues over the centuries, with Venice as a crossroads of continents.

Me at San Rocco, wearing Venetian headband, looking funny it's true

Inside the Scuola San Rocco

Kelly will remember this one. Our guide was Elisabetta, who was a small but theatrical woman, literally leaping across the floor to demonstrate emotional? stuff; she'd use actions when she couldn't find the English word. She told us about attending carnivale as a teenager; all the months of preparation of the costumes and the dancing etc funded by local government. Now it is a shadow of its former self, with only 30,000 residents in Venice now, obviously older as the young ones move out to Mestre on the mainland, or anywhere in the EU. Most of our guides have children studying elsewhere. Today you pay thousands of euros to attend a carnivale party; carnivale evoked a lot of capering, mask wearing and expressions of horror from Elizabetta. Our elderly group could often be noted to have eyes closed, so I guess she felt she needed to be more entertaining. 

For the girls