Venice Engraved

Desi Marangon—historian, author, and the artistic director of Urbis Scripta—guides members of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection on a tour of the graffiti found in Venetian neighborhoods of Cannaregio and Castello.

The tour starts in campo San Giovanni e Paolo, where the entrance to the Scuola di Grande di San Marco is covered in ancient graffiti depicting numerous ships and gondolas, as well as curious symbols like the @ sign—used as a measuring unit by ancient merchants. Also depicted are the chronicles of executions and a character from a popular Venetian folktale, a boy from the Levant wearing a turban and holding a heart in his hand. The next stop is the Sottoportego del Traghetto, where graffiti testify to numerous nineteenth-century events, such as the freezing over of the lagoon and the arrival of the Italian troops in 1866. Moving on to sixteenth-century graffiti located on a narrow street off Strada Nova, which documents ancient acqua alta events, and others along the way, the tour ends at the Sottoportego di San Felice on the Grand Canal.

Remember

• Members only.
• First slot: 11 am–12.30 pm| Second slot: 2–3:30 pm.
• Donation of 25 euro (15 euro for Young Pass and Young Pass + friend members).
• The tour is in Italian.