This story is part of the June 30 edition of Sunday Life. See all 14 stories . I don’t mean to enter Venice by the back door, but I’m glad I do.
Upon exiting Santa Lucia train station and taking in the extraordinary set dressing of the scene before me – the Grand Canal, gondolas, gracious facades – I unwittingly choose a vaporetto (ferry) that’s heading away from the prime tourist zone, chugging along the broad Giudecca Canal. I can’t help noticing the buildings lining its edge are less about architectural perfection than practicality – including a chunky red-brick complex used by the local police. This is good.
La Serenissima is notoriously a victim of over-tourism, its daily visitors often outnumbering its residents. But there are other ways to sample the city’s pleasures than simply crowding into its most famous locations, so I’m heading for the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, a modern art museum. It does overlook the Grand Canal, but I’m approaching from a less-obvious direction, alighting at the Zattere ferry landing and walking along quiet footpaths past narrow canals.
A scene from the Grand Canal, Peggy Guggenheim on the roof top of her house. Credit: The LIFE Picture Collection/Gett The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, when I reach it, is a subtle delight – a graceful single-storey house in attractive gardens, the grounds dotted with sculptures. As I stroll through the simple interior with its white walls, I’m within touching distance of many works by.
