I'm obsessed with every thing about Peggy Guggenheim & the area of Dorsoduro that surrounds the…read moreCollection. Just a delightful home on the Grand Canal, small & intimate with such diversity that the moment we left I was already craving a revisit. Beautiful garden memorial to Peggy & her beloved dogs. "Peggy's ashes are buried her beloved pooches are also with her. This is the only case in the world where the creator of a museum is buried inside" The courtyard is peaceful and allows for a few areas to reflect before or after visiting the collection inside. Of course, the delight is the canal entrance to the terrace showcasing the bronze Marino Marini "Angel of the City" statue of a rider on a horse with outstretched hands and an erect phallus that is said to once upon a time be detachable to prevent the nuns who were passing by from seeing it. Eventually stolen enough times that it was soldered in place. What a place !! What an island !

Mega over-crowded! We bought tickets online because it may "sell out". I don't think they would…read moreever sell out-seems packing hundreds of people into very small rooms and hallways was just fine. Large student groups of uninterested kids and bougie aficionados with no self-awareness abound. Not sure if the art or people watching was more insufferable. We spent about 20 min inside before we bailed. Also, 90% of the art looks like what second graders produce and parents would hang on a fridge. Want to see art? Walk thru any of the art galleries with photography and oil paintings for sale-far better plan. Not sure how this gets nearly 5 stars. During the very busy season this place must be even more insane. How about limit the crowds, especially for those with the foresight to pre-purchase tickets to avoid what we experienced.

The Venice - San Marco contemporary art gallery of the prominent European Bel-Air Fine Art company…read morewas a pleasant and whimsical discovery in Venezia. After awhile, for me at least, all the medieval and religious art in Italy starts to blur together. This makes stumbling upon the hyperrealism, neorealism, neo-pop, neo-surrealism, and modern collection on display (and for sale) at this contemporary art gallery both fun and inspirational. Pieces by French-Israeli sculptor Idan Zareski, American sculptor Carole Feuerman, French sculptor Cévé, French photographer Cécile Plaisance, French sculptor Marie-Paule Deville-Chabrolle, Italian-American photographer Guido Argentini, and Dutch artist Joseph Klibansky all were mesmerizing. Of course, Bel-Air Fine Art is one of the leading contemporary art groups in Europe. Its collection of world-class items on display at this gallery was fun to explore and contemplate without a lot of pressure from overly-attentive sales people or a crowd of tourists.

Very much enjoyed the quiet and magnificence of this palace turned museum; however, two issues:…read moreaudio tour was difficult to follow from room to room with using a decimal point and title system and poor signage, and no place to sit, despite ample space! On our feet for a full three hours unless seated on the stairs between floors apologizing to other navigating between floors. Otherwise wonderful.

Venice is completely packed full of tourists pretty much year round these days, but there are many…read moreplaces where it's possible to get away from the crowds--they are called museums, and this is a great one. It's devoted to 17th-century Venetian painting but also has room-full of fantastic carved furniture, worth seeing all by itself, ceiling paintings throughout, and a separate collection of works donated by Ferruccio Mestrovich, where I wandered through the rooms for a full 45 minutes without seeing another person. This is on the Grand Canal! This is where Robert Browning lived in the 19th century! You can go down to the cafe and sit basically on the water with a glass of wine for as long as you like. Get a museum day pass and a day transportation pass.

If you're like me, a lover of contemporary art, you must stop by Palazzo Grassi while in Venice…read more I remember my time "getting lost" in Venice and stumbling across this hidden gem. After seeing and admiring a mind numbing amount of Renaissance art while in Italy, it was refreshing to come across this modern art museum for a change of pace. The museum is owned by François Pinault, owner of Kering, the group that owns Gucci, Balenciago, Alexander McQueen, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Stella McCartney and... Puma, Volcom, and Tretorn among other brands. Pinault owns one of the biggest collections of contemporary art worldwide Check their website for current exhibitions -- http://www.palazzograssi.it/en Good luck finding it!

This 18th century palazzo has an impressive history of its own. At one time it was occupied by the…read moreJesuits. In the 1980s it was bought and restored by FIAT. Currently owned by French fashion mogul Francois Pinault. It holds wonderful, inspiring exhibitions - the recent 'Picasso, la joie de vivre' was magnificent. The building itself is splendid with a wonderful staircase and stunningly ornate gold encrusted ceilings. Gazing out of the windows provides a further brilliant, if slightly distracting, artistic vision. As an avid art collector, Pinault's personal collection is deeply impressive, varied and often quirky featuring notable works by Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons. If you need a breather from the art overload, take a break in the palazzo's cafe run by renowned restaurant Vecio Fritolin. Enjoy a light lunch or just a restorative caffe.

Worth a trip to the Gallerie dell' Accademia when visiting Venezia…read more I recommend lunch or dinner at Al Vechio Maragon (nearby) after the visiting the museum.

500 to 600 year-old works of art including Michelangelo and Bosch. But the highlight is undoubtedly…read morethe vitruvian man by da Vinci. It is worth the price of the entry alone. It sits behind a closed curtain for 20 minutes then they uncover it for another 20 minutes. They say it will be on display for one year. And then it is stored in a dark room where no one can see it for eight years. They do this routine to avoid damaging the sensitive material.

The 795 Art Gallery is located on Guidecca Island and between the Hilton Molino Stuckey (where were…read morestaying) and Dinner one night at the Ostaria ad Botti. We stopped in on a whim, and particularly enjoyed the performance art provided by a young actress/model and the connected iPad that we was wearing over her face. Gayle and I found ourselves part of the show as our images appeared on the screen at one point. The Gallery is located in an historic 16th century palazzetto known as Palazzo Foscari. It's a reference point for various artists and collectors, representing modern and contemporary art. We also enjoyed the wall art and came away with a few artistic trinkets and huge smiles on our faces.

I love Burano! In turn, I love my unique piece of art from La Buranella. It's my own little piece…read moreof Italy! As you get off the boat in Burano, La Buranella is one of the first places you come across. We walked in to see a father and son painting scenes of Burano, surrounding Murano glass that is placed just so in order to make up the Burano buildings and landscape. We were instantly intrigued, but continued on our way to the town. After perusing the shops and streets of Burano, we found ourselves back in La Buranella. The paintings that the men were originally working on were now dry. We decided that this would be a perfect souvenir to remember our first European vacation by. I look at it daily!

I'm the sort of traveler who wants to take a piece of the trip home. I want to be transported back…read moreto that magical place I visited. So, my souvenir of choice is usually art. With a glance, I'm back - the sounds, the sights, the smells. When I was in Burano (one of the small islands around Venice - another is Murano) last May, it was pouring rain. But that didn't stop it from being one of the highlights of my trip. This little island is full of winding streets, picturesque footbridges, and brightly colored houses with brightly colored skiffs to go with them. We had less than 2 hours to explore Burano as we had to catch the last vaporetto back for the night. As we were heading back to the vaporetto stop, I was desperately looking for that perfect item to take home with me. Yes, I tried their delicious pastries and I bought a handmade lace shawl for my mom, but I needed something special. On the right side of the street, facing the vaporetto stop, there was a tiny shop - La Buranella! We stepped out of the rain and it was like stepping into a painting. Vibrant colors on the walls and the art instantly lifted my spirits. I almost couldn't decide - because Giuliano (the artist) is so talented and really captures the feeling of Burano in all of his work. But I decided on one that combined the colorful houses, the picturesque footbridges, and the little boats into one perfect picture. If you're on Burano, I highly recommend you stop by La Buranella to see Guiliano's work and to pick up a few reminders of your own trip!

We opted for the Ca d'Oro when the Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia sounded too daunting and too…read morefar away. Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca d'Oro was a great beginner's introduction to the island's many art galleries and museums. The museum is just the right size (housed in an old palace, just a few floors) and is not crowded. You basically get the whole museum to yourself and its a nice contrast to the busyness of Piazza San Marco. The art is so so but the building is what truly shines here. The Bon family designed the palace. If that family name makes no sense to you at all, just know that they also designed Doge's Palace! The courtyard is a beautiful space and is made up of the most amazing tile work. Also nice is the balcony and area where your boat would pull up from the canal. Just imagine what that would be like if it were back in the day. Not much has changed in terms of the structure and it is easy to picture what life was like in this palace.

This amazing little gallery of everything from 'rock star quality' wearable clothing art to pop…read morefurniture and lighting is an eclectic collection of the works of Firorella Mancini and her associate artists. She is an incredibly gracious and delightfully interesting contemporary artist with an international following, who welcomes you into her fantastic world. Definitely worth a look when you are burnt out on viewing endless stuffy renaissance art and fake Murano glass. Centrally located on a plaza near the Accademia bridge; it was a chance find that was a highlight of our visit to Venice.

Start off by saying most of the art and exhibits were pretty cool not all of it was to my taste,…read morebut I'm sure somebody liked some of it. One star rating is because one of the art babysitter at one of the exhibits decided it was appropriate to scream at me from only 3 m away. Because I stuck my head through a hole in the blinds to look out the window. The hole was already there, and I was not touching the art. And frankly, the view through the hole of Venice was much better than any of the shitty modern art they had on display. Most of the art babysitters use their indoor voices, but this one was inappropriate yelled at the top of her lungs. For some reason, she wasn't wearing the normal babysitter outfit that the rest of the babysitters, wear. And then took it upon herself to follow me throughout the installation standing only 1 m behind me breathing down my neck. Until I went to the next exhibit, quite annoying and inappropriate. The rest of the art babysitters behaved appropriate. I hope you train your art babysitters better in the future. And maybe explains why there was only a handful of people at this museum to begin with if everybody gets rubbed the wrong way when walking through the exhibits.

I have to admit that I only visited this museum in order to see Gustav Klimt's Judith II. To say…read morethe least, the painting is magnificent! It was worth ten times the price of the ticket, the time and the effort of finding this museum, and the dragging of your family across Venice to get a glimpse of Klimt's masterpiece. In general however, the museum offers a very limited collection of modern artworks. Of note are Chagall, Miró, Kandinsky, Bonnard, and omnipresent sculptures of Rodin. I can't give the museum fewer than 4 stars - the pleasure of seeing Judith would make it blasphemous!