Strabo Photo Tour Collection

Venice: Watercolor & Photography Tour

Venice, this legendary city of art, capital of the Veneto, encompasses about 180 square miles, 100 of which are water. The city is built on an archipelago of more than one hundred small islands, separated by a dense network of 177 canals, and joined by 400 small bridges. The city rests on millions of larch wood pilings driven into the sediment of the lagoon, and are protected from the Adriatic Sea by long strands of sand bars.

Venice is an exotic blend of Gothic, Byzantine and Renaissance styles, seen today as it was in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Everywhere there is water, shaping and reflecting the life of the city, its compelling beauty, curiosity, and interest. Cathedrals, gondolas, and the daily life provide continuity between past and present. Dark passageways end in sunlit squares, neighbors gather at medieval well heads, gondolas moor under tiny stone bridges, elderly women haul baskets of vegetables to their balconies, cats dart in and out of streets marked with ancient signs and stone relief.

Artists and photographers alike marvel at the quality of the light in Venice, when the faded pastel thirteenth century facades glow. As you explore Venice and sense its romantic past, Becky will help you maximize the painting possibilities all around you. Laura, your Venetian guide will be with you for four days. She has led Strabo tours for years and is particularly sensitive to their specific needs.

Join accomplished artist Becky Haletky and Venetian Guide, Laura Sabbadin through Venice. Becky Haletky will introduce painters to her favorite out of the way locations and instill in them a love of the color and light of Venice. Participants will learn how to capture and interpret what they see in their own style, with one on one instruction and guidance. Artists of all levels of ability will appreciate this unique opportunity.

Becky has won over 300 awards for both her painting and photography. She has been teaching watercolor techniques for many years, using photography to assist in her own painting as well as her teaching techniques at the South Shore Art Center and the Plymouth Guild for the Arts in southeast Mass. Becky has served on the Board of Directors of the prestigious New England Watercolor Society for fifteen years and is currently President. She holds a BFA in photography from Massachusetts College of Art, and has been painting in watercolor for thirty years. Participants will paint on location, as well as learn how to take better reference photographs for paintings.

Laura Sabbadin, your Venetian host, has been working as a qualified guide in her home city since 1998. After graduating from the University of Urbino, with a degree in Modern Languages and Literature, Laura completed the rigorous training program for licensed Venetian guides. She has given extensive lectures about the art and history of Venice for a special UNESCO project. Since 1988, Laura has been an official interpreter for Venice’s Biennale Film Festival. With her charm and wealth of information, Laura will make your stay very special.

Itinerary

May 4: Home - Venice

Board your overnight flight to Marco Polo Airport in Venice. Instructions will be sent regarding transportation options to the hotel.

May 5: Arrival to Venice

After checking into the hotel, you will have time to relax and settle down after your flight. We meet our Venetian Guide, Laura in the hotel lobby at 4pm for her art and history introduction to this magnificent city. We will concentrate this evening on two of the significant monuments, Basilica and the Ducal Palace. The Palace situated in Piazza San Marco, the central landmark of Venice and home of the grand Basilica and towering Campanile. The Piazza is flanked by arcades of shops and open-air cafes. The Ducal Palace was built in 1340 to be the home of the Duke – the head of the Venetian State – and the seat of government. Here the ruling Duke forged the decisions that made Venice one of the most powerful states in the Mediterranean; the palace is the most stunning civil building in the city. The Basilica San Marco, built in the eleventh century, is an intriguing mix of eastern mystery and western opulence. In its shadowy interior, filled with the plundered riches of Constantinople, candlelight flickers off the golden mosaic walls. Nearby, the famous Bridge of Sighs arches over a narrow canal. Afterwards we will have a welcome dinner and presentation of your week’s program. (D). All overnights Villa Igea.

May 6: A City of Merchants and Churches, Morning walking tour, afternoon painting

Venice with its 118 little islands and 400 bridges is undoubtedly a very special and unique city. Laura leads us off-the-beaten path through narrow alleyways and across bridges and side canals to discover the beauty and the very structure of this alluring city. You will learn about the city’s origins, how its magnificent palaces were constructed “on water”, and how aspects of the past way of life live on in the present. Crossing the stunning Grand Canal we reach the Rialto, once the commercial heart of the city, now a colourful and bustling market with fish and fruit stalls. Continue through a maze of alleyways – once the “red-light” district - to reach the Church of San Polo. There we admire a unique version of the Stations of the Cross painted in 1747 by Giandomenico Tiepolo in which the characters are all depicted in eighteenth century costumes. Proceeding to the Frari Church, the most imposing example of religious Gothic architecture in town where you can admire Titian’s masterpiece, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. (B)

May 7: The Lagoon Trip: Burano and Torcello, Painting on location in Burano

Today is a unique experience to discover the beauty of the lagoon where Venice is situated, stretching thirty miles from north to south and interspersed with sandbars and small islands. To reach our destination, the islands of Burano and Torcello, we board a public motor launch for a 40-minute boat ride across the northern lagoon. The boat offers a wonderful vantage point from which the beauty of the lagoon can be enjoyed. Our first stop, Burano, is a picturesque, quiet island of winding streets, canals lined with fishing boats, and tiny houses washed in bright colors. The town looks like something straight out of a storybook. It is an artist’s delight. Torcello, our second stop is just the opposite. The island is practically deserted, although it still houses the beautiful Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta, Venice’s first cathedral. As we return to the main islands of Venice, those interested in shopping for Venetian glassware may stop at the island of Murano, famous for its unique and colorful creations. (B)

May 8: San Giorgio Maggiore, Zattere and Salute, Morning tour, afternoon painting on location

A short trip by waterbus takes you across the Bacino di San Marco, to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, home to a Benedectine Monastery since the tenth century. The views from the island are wonderful, especially from the top of the campanile or belltower. All of Venice is spread out before you in what some have called a “God’s eye view”. We then proceed by waterbus to another area of the Dorsoduro, where a gondola boatyard or a small square topped with unique chimney pots make great painting subjects. In the evening we will meet with our guide for a guided water taxi tour of the city and dinner. (B, D)

May 9: From San Marco to the Aresenale, Morning walk, afternoon painting on location

Today explore the Castello neighborhood of Venice. You will proceed through picturesque alleyways to the Arsenale, Venice's historic shipyard. After a tour of the Naval Museum you will paint in one of Venice's most unique neighborhoods off the Via Guiseppe Garabaldi. Narrow crooked streets are just filled with laundry strung from house to house, making patterns of color and light that are an artist's dream. This neighborhood, dubbed by some "laundry heaven", is so charming it does not seem real, more like something from a picture book. Just beyond this area is the Giardini Publici, or public gardens, a beautiful park with winding walkways along the canal. This is a great spot to have lunch and paint. (B)

May 10: Painting with Becky in Campo San Barnaba

After breakfast explore the neighborhoods of the Dorsoduro, a quite area of Venice. You can paint in the beautiful Campo San Barnaba, with it's vegetable boats along the canal, unchanged from when Sargent painted there. After lunch we can continue to paint or optional visit to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, which houses her amazing collection of early 20th century art.This evening you may partake in twilight walk or stroll around the city. At this time, the city is generally quiet, except for the occasional singing of a gondolier. There are magical places to explore, bridges with reflections in the still water, lights reflecting in the canals, and buildings lit by the glow of lanterns. (B)

May 11: Painting with Becky

Once again you have the whole day to revisit some of your favorite painting locations or explore new ones. One of Becky's favorites is the Campo S. Maria Nova, a tiny square filled with sidewalk cafes and an open air market, dominated by the Cheisa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli, a lovely church along the canal, where wedding parties can sometimes be seen departing in gondolas. (B)

May 12: Painting on location with Becky

Continue to explore Venice, with a boat ride to the Lido and the island of Murano. Lido is the beach resort island of Venice, and was developed at a later date, which gives the architecture an art deco look. The beach is dominated by the amazing Hotel Excelsior, and lined with the famous cabanas. On the island of Murano you can visit the glass blowers, and watch them make the famous Murano glass. (B)

May 13: Venice - Home

This morning we leave Venice. We board late morning or afternoon flights home. (B)

Accommodations

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Guides

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Food & Drink

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Pricing Info

Tour land cost: $3,245 US Dollars based upon minimum of 9 paying participants. There is a small group surcharge of $200 if 5-8 paying participants. All our program prices are based on double occupancy unless noted in exceptions.

Single room supplement: $645; single rooms are subject to availability and are not guaranteed. We try to accommodate travelers who request single accommodations, as well as travelers who are looking for a roommate. If a single room is requested, or if we are unable to find a suitable roommate, you will be required to pay the supplement.

Note: The land costs on international tours is based upon current exchange rates. Although the rate has been relatively stable, should it change, there may need to be an adjustment in the land cost.

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