Art students from both the Upper and Lower Sixth spent a delightful few days at half term in the galleries and gondolas of gorgeous Venice. The splendid Baroque wedding cake churches, Palaces once owned by the merchants, Art alleries and the wonderful eateries, built of bricks, stones and marble soaked in brine and decaying delightfully into the sand and silt were visited by a mode of transport rarely used in Britain, the waterbus!
The art galleries visited included the modern art collection of Peggy Guggenheim and the sumptuous paintings and sculpture from the Renaissance, The Academia. A train journey was undertaken to Padua to see the Scrovegni Chapel, the interior of which was painted by Giotto, a museum full of wonderful artefacts from the 15th and 16th centuries and an unforgettable special exhibition of painting by Andrea Mantegna.
‘Kodak moments’ at every corner, Venice is a photographer’s dream and an A level student’s delight. The party also witnessed numerous tourist shops selling local glass and carnival masks, pizzas to die for and dozens of flavours of gourmet ice-cream. Everyone returned suitably inspired and refreshed from this wonderful visual experience.