Full Description
The sights and sounds of Venice provoked and enthralled the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke, luring him back again and again to the city in which he found the decaying shipyards and back alleys as enchanting as the iconic landmarks.
Throughout Rilke's ten visits to Venice, whether staying in a simple guesthouse or a palazzo, there was one constant: he walked prodigiously, determined to discover every corner of the city on foot.
Birgit Haustedt guides the reader on eleven Venetian walks, retracing Rilke's footsteps and recounting his words to give travellers a new perspective on this captivating city, from the humble to the sublime.
Contents
Introduction // 1
WALK NUMBER ONE // 13
Living, loving and writing on the Zattere and in Palazzo Valmarana
WALK NUMBER TWO // 31
Through Venice's flood of pictures
WALK NUMBER THREE // 37
The Piazza, Saint Mark's, the Doge's Palace and a picture by Carpaccio in the Museo Correr
WALK NUMBER FOUR // 49
The Arsenal, Scuola Dalmata di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, Campo Santa Maria Formosa and the Pinacoteca Querini-Stampalia
WALK NUMBER FIVE // 61
The Ghetto
WALK NUMBER SIX // 81
A Tintoretto in the Madonna dell'Orto Church and a poem by Rilke
WALK NUMBER SEVEN // 89
Behind the backdrop - Palaces on the Grand Canal
WALK NUMBER EIGHT // 103
The 'Garden of Eden' on la Giudecca
WALK NUMBER NINE // 109
The Lido
WALK NUMBER TEN // 117
Sestiere San Polo, the Frari Church and Ca'Rezzonico
WALK NUMBER ELEVEN // 127
Farewell: San Giorgio Maggiore
Places to See // 135
Notes // 149
Further Reading // 159
