 |
|||
 |
|||
|
|||
Ca' Pésaro
Venice's Ca' Pésaro and two collections: Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderna (Gallery of Modern Art) and Museo d'Arte Orientale (Asian Art Museum)
Fondamenta della Pergola 2076, Santa Croce
Vaporetto: San Stae (turn left in front of the church, cross the bridge, turn right, then take your first left, cross another bridge and you're there)
tel. +39-041-721-127
www.museiciviciveneziani.it
Open 10am–6pm (5pm Nov–Mar)
Closed Mondays
Adm
With Museum Pass: free
Sights nearby
*** Grand Canal (sight)
** Ca d'Oro (museum) ª
Rialto (sight)
Where to eat nearby
Pizzeria Ae Oche (meal)
Cantina Do Spade (meal/snack)
Vini da Pinto (meal)
Cantina Do Mori (snack)
Hotels nearby
Hotel San Cassiano Ca 'Favretto (premier) Albergo Pensione Guerrato (cheap) Hotel Bernardi Semenzato (cheap) ªª - Via a traghetto across the Grand Canal
» More hotels in S. Croce from Venere.com
» More hotels in S. Croce from Booking.com
ReidsItaly.com Venice Map
» View ENLARGED MAP with all listings
Venice tours
» THE VENICE BOOKSHELF
The Ca' Pesaro on Venice's Grand Canal, designed in the late 17th century by Baldassare Longhena (completed in 1682 by Antionio Gaspari).Sometimes the effort of appreciating all that Gothic, Renaissance, and baroque art can just wear you down.
The ponderous Ca' Pésaro—squatting on the Grand Canal across and just up from the more elegant Ca' D'Oro, and designed in the middle of the 17th century by Baldassare Longhena (same dude who built the Ca' Rezzonico and Santa Maria della Salute church)—still hits you with late Renaissance/early baroque architecture going in.
However, the two modest museums it contains are a breath of fresh air, representing art that's hundreds of years (and/or thousands of miles) away from the same old Old Masters.
The main floor contains Venice's municipal Museum of Modern Art —the spoils of hosting the Biennale, Venice's grand bi-yearly contemporary art show, from which the city has slowly purchased much of this collection over the years. The result is a gallery of international masters such as Chagall, Matisse, Kadinsky, Klee, Klimt, Morandi, Henry Moore, and De Chirico.
The Gallery of Modern Art in the Ca' Pesaro.Frankly, the collection at the Peggy Guggenheim in town is better (if you're going to see just one gallery of modern art, make it that one), but these works are fine, and if you already have a Museum Pass, you get in for free anyway.
Upstairs is the Ca' Pésaro's second museum, this one devoted to Asian Art and artifacts (www.arteorientale.org)—armor, weapons, lacquered boxes, musical instruments, bronzes, etc.. It's heavy on the Japanese (look for Hokusai, Koryusai, and Harunobu), but there's also some stuff from China, Siam (ancient Thailand), and Java (Indonesia). Be on the lookout for a precious Khmer Buddha from 12th century Cambodia.
The collection is all the more remarkable for being formerly the private stash of Prince Henry of Bourbon Parma, who brought it back from the Orient toward the end of the 19th century and left it to Italy in his will.
(Note: There have been long-term plans to move the Asian art collection to the Palazzo Marcello, across the Grand Canal, but just when that might happen is anybody's guess. They've been talking about it for years.)
Tips
- Combined ticket?
Check to see if they have reintroduced the combined "3 Museums" admission ticket for €11 covering the Accademia (normally €6.50), Ca' d'Oro (€5), and the Oriental Art Museum in Ca' Pésaro (€5.50). This combo ticket saves you €0.50 even if you just visit those other two major sights—consider the Asian art here a freebie bonus. (If you're booking ahead of time, as explained to the left, you can specify this ticket). This was suspended in late 2010, but may resurface.Planning your day: Unless you're seriously into modern and/or Oriental art, you can probably knock off both museums in 30–45 minutes or so. - The Ca' Pesaro is included on the Museum Pass cumulative ticket.
- Don't book ahead: While advance reservations are possible for this museum, they really aren't necessary (the tourists crowds flock to St. Mark's and the Accademia not here), so save yourself the €1 booking fee.
However, you should book the Accademia ahead of time, and since—some years—you can buy a combo ticket (detailed on the right) that gets you into both that museum, the Ca' d'Oro, and the Ca' Pesaro, if it's available, go ahead and book the "3 Museums" ticket with a timed entry to the Accademia, then use it to visit this and the Ca' d'Oro at your leisure.
Related pages
- Ca' Rezzonico - Another palatial home-turned-museum by the same architect
- Ca d'Oro - Greatest of the Grand Canal palatial homes-turned-museums
- Peggy Guggenheim - An even better collection of 20th century art.
- Grand Canal
- Santa Maria della Salute - Also designed by Baldassare Longhena
- More sights in Santa Croce district
- Sights in neighboring San Polo district
- Sightseeing in Venice
ShareThis 
Search ReidsItaly.com
This material was last updated February 2011. All information was accurate at the time.
about | contact | faq
» THE REIDSITALY.COM DIFFERENCE «
Copyright © 2008–2012 by Reid Bramblett. Author: Reid Bramblett
- Plan
- Stay
- See & Do
- Eat
Tours from Viator
