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After exploring a bit of San Polo, we walked over to Dorsoduro. Dorsoduro is one of the six districts (sestieri) of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Venice, Italy.
As we entered Dorsoduro, we passed a bridge over the Rio di Ca’ Foscari with a nice view of the Grand Canal.
Campo San Barnaba
The first stop we made was at Campo San Barnaba, which features the Church of San Barnaba (Chiesa di San Barnaba). The original church was built in the 9th century and was destroyed by a fire in 1105. It was rebuilt in 1350 and took its present form during a reconstruction in 1776. It was deconsecrated and is now used strictly for exhibitions. One fun fact is that the façade of the church doubled as a library in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Next, we walked along some canals and over more bridges for about 10 minutes, enjoying the scenery along the way.
Accademia
At the end of our walk we came to Gallerie dell’Accademia, which is an art gallery that exhibits pre-19th century art. It was established in 1750 as the gallery of an art school called the Venice Academy of Fine Arts (Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia). The gallery administratively split from the art school in 1879, but they shared the same building until 2004 when the school moved to another location. Admission is €12 (as of August 2023) and it’s open daily.
Just outside the gallery is the Grand Canal and the Academy Bridge (Ponte dell’Accademia), which is one of the four bridges over the canal.
Campo di Sant’Agnese
The next day, we picked up where we left off by taking a vaporetto to Accademia and walking along the building until we reached the Campo di Sant’Agnese. The Church of Sant’Agnese (Chiesa di Sant’Agnese), built between the 10th and 11th centuries, is located on the small square. In 1810, the church was closed to worship and became the private chapel of the Cavanis Institute (Istituto Cavanis) next door.
Jesuit Church
Just a few steps away is the Jesuit Church (Chiesa dei Gesuati), which sits just along the Giudecca Canal. The official name is the Church of Saint Mary of the Rosary (Chiesa di Santa Maria del Rosario) and it was built between 1725 and 1743. The best view of the church is from a vaporetto on the canal. Admission is €3.50 (as of August 2023) or free for holders of the Chorus Pass. We didn’t visit because it was closed when we passed by.
Giudecca Canal
We did, however, enjoy the scenery along the Giudecca Canal as well as a nice lunch at La Calcina, just east of the church. After lunch, we took a short walk along the canal.
San Trovaso Shipyard
A few steps in we saw the San Trovaso Boatyard (Squero di San Trovaso). This is where gondolas have traditionally been built and repaired since the 17th century. Today, it’s strictly for gondolas, but in the past other types of boats were built and repaired there. It’s one of the last shipyards of its kind still in use in Venice.
Next to the San Trovaso Shipyard is the Church of San Trovaso (Chiesa di San Trovaso), which dates back to at least 1028. The current church was built between 1584 and 1637.
Conclusion
Although we didn’t spend too much time in Dorsoduro, we enjoyed what we saw. It was a pleasant place to walk. On another day, we also visited the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, which is at the eastern end of the district.
