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Remember, the ones who attacked the builders of the Venier dei Leoni for blocking them the view of Venice. It owes its name to its “Grand” proportions and dimensions. It was built for the powerful Corner family in 1532, suspected to have reached its immense wealth to very irregular transaction one would get a life sentence in jail today. It houses today the siege of the Venice province council.
On with the trip: at the left side appears the PALAZZO BARBARIGO, decorated with mosaics and is now a shop displaying glass works.

Galleria Accademia

Next stop, the PONTE DEL ACCADEMIA and a visit to the world famous GALLERIA DEL ACCADEMIA (open every day 9.00-19.00 and 9.00-14.00 on Sunday and festive days).
Be aware of the long queues you might to endure before you will get able to buy an entrance ticket. All these people come to see one of the richest painting collections of Venetian art from the 14th to the 18th century and the most beautiful in Venice. There so many works, sometimes too much, the paintings almost telescope into each other, cancelling each other. And like it is the custom in Italy (;-)) certain galleries are sometimes closed (good to avoid saturation!)
The museum is located in the ancient church of Santa Maria della Carita, the Scuola Grande della Carita and the convent of the Latran canons.

Bellini

A useful advice: since you have to look at the paintings in daylight, try to pick a clear morning for your visit. Try the earliest (9.00). Later the long queues will put your patient (?) nerves trough an ordeal. And be also aware that it is IMPOSSIBLE to see all the works in one visit. Even running ;-). Let me advise you a good local guide of the museum: “The Galleries of the Accademia” by Francesco Valcanover, to buy in the museum shop.
As soon as you enter in gallery 1 you are seized on the throat by the “Politico con scene della vita di Gesu" (1333, one of the
earliest dated paintings). A polyptic by Paolo Veneziano, and next by the “Crowning of the Virgin in paradise” by Michele Giambono.

Bellini

It is said that Michelangelo once sighed: “ If those Venetians could start to draw and sketch very, very young…..”. Maybe they were not that good draughtsmen but they sure knew how to paint!! Other master pieces: ”Madonna dell’Arancio” by Cima da Conegliano. Gallery 2 houses one of the most important altarpieces of early Renaissance: “Madonna in trono con bambino con Santi” by the genial Giovanni BELLINI. He was the brother in law of MANTEGNA who introduced Renaissance style in Venice. This painting had a great influence on Carpaccio “Mission in the Temple” and Basati’s “Christ in the Gethsemane garden” to be seen in the same room.
You can skip gallery 3 and concentrate on the treasures of gallery 4 and 5.
But that’s enough for one essay. Continuation in the next one: Accademia 2.

Bibliography

Italian hours, by James Henry-Venice, a traveller’s companion, by John Julius Norwich-The Companion guide to Venice, by Hugh Honour-Venice and its lagoon, by Giulio Lorenzetti.
Venice-A thousand Years of Culture and Civilisation, by Peter Lauritzen- l’Art Venitien, by Terisio Pignatti (Flammarion, 1992), Heures Italiennes, by Henry James (La difference 1985)- The Galleries of the Accademia” by Francesco Valcanover