ACCADEMIA GALLERY, Scuola Della Carita'

As I mentioned, the Academy of Fine Arts and its subsequent Gallery were established in a building with extensive history, and during this tour you passed through many ancient rooms which have been properly enhanced by the museum's set-up.

The most fascinating room, coincidentally also at the end of the tour, is the 15th century Sala dell'Albergo of the ancient Scuola della Carità: these schools were typical Venetian welfare associations. Even after being incorporated into the Academy, this room kept its original features including its furnishings: admire the beautiful carved and gilded ceiling, the paintings along the walls, and the woodwork. It's a kind of grand finale for the museum that underlines its connection with Venice's artistic history.

Look closely at the reliquary made by Venetian goldsmiths. It is a fine assembly of parts made in Constantinople in the 14th century; you can see four caskets made of rock crystal with fragments of the cross and the Robe of Christ, mounted in a frame with enamels depicting scenes from the Passion. The reliquary was so famous that you can find it very precisely reproduced in a painting by Gentile Bellini....