My Cart0
san rocco

Personal Tour of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco and Frari Church

About your tour

This compact tour is a bold Venetian art blockbuster - except we get to see the work of the greatest masters in the history of art in the original places for which they were commissioned - locations extraordinary in themselves - pure Venetian delight.

Guided Tours Venice - Our Venice tour guides are all highly qualified and speak fluent English.

Our guided tour of Venice runs over two art-packed hours we savour the work of the world's greatest and influential artists situated within the breathtaking architectural treasures for which it was commissioned.

We begin with Frari Church, the illustrious Venetian gothic masterpiece commissioned in the 1200s and finished in the 1400s. We'll see how it has been enriched and embellished over the last 700 years with monuments, sculptures, paintings and carvings that demonstrate the progression of art and craftsmanship from Gothic to Renaissance and beyond.

Amongst the many highlights you'll see arguably the most famous Madonna in art history, “The Assumption”, Titian's unquestionable masterpiece that dominates even this huge space. In addition we'll show you the exquisite triptych by Bellini tucked away in the sacristy and Donatello's John the Baptist sculpture, his only work in Venice, as well as the staggering monumental memorials to Venetian nobles and artists. We'll walk you through the glorious carved choir stalls created by by Marco Cozzi and dating from 1468, each one inlaid with precious woods depicting individual scenes that are a triumph of craftsmanship.

From here we'll visit the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, the home of the richest of Venice's lay Confraternities dedicated to helping the less fortunate of the city by following the example of their patron saint, San Rocco. We'll hear how the organisation gained prestige and, funded by wealthy citizens, made its headquarters a showpiece second to none. The Scuola Grande di San Rocco is a Renaissance powerhouse. It is impossible to exaggerate the splendour of the place, from its vast decorated entry hall to the monumental staircase, to the breathtaking inlaid marble floors, the amazing wooden sculptures by Francesco Pianta to the crowning glory of the upper floor – the massive cycle of masterpieces painted by Jacopo Tintoretto over a period of 25 years, a stunning, almost unbelievable achievement that is recognised as the “Sistine Chapel of Venice”. You'll see it all and have time to savour it to your heart's content!

 

By appointment only

venice placeholder3

Unavailable to book online.

Click on the button below to contact us directly.

Please confirm the dates and number of people in your group and a member of our Customer Support team will contact you within 24 hours.