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Venice: Scarpa & Others - 20th-century modern and La Biennale
6
days
from
US$4,980
Book today with a deposit from
US$747
1st - 6th June 2027
Tour highlights
- An exciting encounter with the beauty of La Serenissima through the lens of modernism.
- Venice’s greatest 20th-century architect Carlo Scarpa is the protagonist; see his most acclaimed work alongside lesser-known projects, many visited by special arrangement.
- Visits to Verona and the 2027 Architecture Biennale place Scarpa’s legacy in a contemporary context.
Once considered as poetic but on the periphery of modern architecture, the work and methods of the great Venetian architect, Carlo Scarpa (1906–1978), have in recent years come to be widely recognised as visionary and pioneering, inspiring architects and designers across the world.
Scarpa’s work is rooted in the genius loci of Venice and a Byzantine sensitivity to craft and material, along with a fascination with Japan and admiration for modern masters from Frank Lloyd Wright to Paul Klee. He began his career at the forefront of the revival of glassmaking in Murano, working as a designer for Cappelin and Venini between 1926 and 1947. Subsequently, he collaborated with a select number of highly-skilled craftsmen in timber, plaster, concrete and metalwork, on a series of astonishingly beautiful projects across Venice and the Veneto.
Unlike so much of modernism, Scarpa’s unfailingly finely-judged architecture views the existing building as the starting point to creativity, not an impediment. He meticulously scrapes away obscuring encrustations and interjects new uses and contemporary designs, in particular in a series of ground-breaking museum projects.
In his wake, other architects have grafted fascinating new schemes onto the city’s fabric. These include workshops and much-needed housing that has revitalised neighbourhoods on La Giudecca and Murano, as well as David Chipperfield’s extension of the San Michele Cemetery Island, and Tadao Ando at the Palazzo Grassi. Venice also possesses, in La Biennale, a showcase for the new, housed in the Arsenale and the national pavilions designed by Aalto, Fehn, Hoffman, Rietveld, Stirling and, of course, Scarpa.
It is not unusual for visitors to assign their enjoyment of Venice to nostalgia, sensing what John Ruskin, in The Stones of Venice, called “the impotent feeling of romance”. This tour, in contrast, introduces a very different perspective: a Venice with a future. A magical city with an affirming sense of place and possibility, in which change takes place through conservation, adaptive reuse and critical interventions.
This tour is particularly strenuous. Please read the advice under 'Practicalities'.
Itinerary
Fly at c. 8.30am from London Heathrow to Venice (British Airways). Travel by motoscafo (water-taxi) across the lagoon to our hotel on the Grand Canal. Our first visit is to the Querini Stampalia Foundation. Here, Scarpa redesigned the 16th-century spaces between 1949–61. Later additions by Valeriano Pastor (1997) and Mario Botta (2003–13), who studied under Scarpa.
We trace Scarpa’s roots as glassmaker on the island of Murano, before returning to Cannaregio to visit the workshop of the family of blacksmiths who worked closely with Scarpa. The workshop is still active today. End at the Museo Correr, focusing on the Italian Renaissance collection with Scarpa’s original interventions (1957–60).
Morning visit to Scarpa’s remodelled Palazzina Masieri (1970–83). In the afternoon we venture to the islands of Sacca Fisola and La Giudecca for a walk through residential projects. Tucked in between are workshops and art studios. Back in San Marco, visit Scarpa’s exquisite Olivetti showroom (1957–58).
Drive to Verona to visit the Banco Popolare (1973–81), designed by Scarpa and completed after his death. We spend the afternoon at his culminating restoration project, the Castelvecchio Art Museum (1958–74).
Across the Grand Canal see Scarpa’s lecture theatre at Ca’Foscari university (1956). The rest of the day is reserved for the 2027 Architecture Biennale. Visit the national pavilions in the Giardini Biennale. Time to see some of the art installations independently, here and in the Arsenale – including the Torre Nueva by Map Studio. Further suggestions in the city include the Pinault Collection at the Punta della Dogana (Tadao Ando) or the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (multiple architects).
The final visit is to the sublime and profoundly moving Memoriale Brion (1968–78), Scarpa’s tomb and chapel for the Brion-Vega family, framed with pools, pavilions, planting, walkways. Scarpa is also buried here. Drive to Venice Airport for the flight to London Heathrow, arriving c. 6.00pm.
Expert speaker
Mr Charlie MacKeith
Charlie MacKeith first encountered Carlo Scarpa's work as a student, and it has shaped his career. Trained as an architect at Cambridge and Harvard before teaching at the University of Manchester, he has specialised since 1993 in the repair and reuse of historic buildings. His projects range from the Manchester Museum to war memorials and his own office, a former almshouse chapel built in 1682, in southeast London. He has spent eight years on the Fleetwood Museum Trust and now sits on Liverpool Cathedral's fabric advisory panel.
More tours led by Mr Charlie MacKeith
Practicalities
Two sharing: US$5,560 or US$4,980 without flights. Single occupancy: US$6,690 or US$6,110 without flights.
A vaporetto (water-bus) pass; travel by water-taxi on a number of occasions including from and to the airport; luggage porterage between the hotel and Venice airport; coach travel; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts; 3 dinners and 1 light lunch with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager; a donation to the Venice in Peril Fund.
Venice in Peril Fund is the leading British charity dedicated to safeguarding the rich cultural heritage of Venice, now and for future generations. Through collaborative conservation projects, research, educational training and our events programme, we support conservation efforts across Venice, its lagoon and historical territories. Your donation (included in the price of the tour) will go directly to supporting the restoration of Carlo Scarpa’s watergate at the Querini Stampalia Foundation.
Hotel Palazzo Barocci, Venice: a comfortable 4-star hotel away from the busier Rialto area. Set on the Grand Canal, it is strategically positioned with its own mooring point and a vaporetto stop directly in front. Single occupancy rooms are doubles for sole use.
Walking is often the best way to cross Venice, and participants need to be able to easily manage walks of up to an hour, as well as cope with steps up and down bridges. We use public water-buses and private water-taxis, both which require balance and surefootedness to get off and on. The tour should not be attempted by anyone who has difficulty with walking distances at a reasonable pace; fitness is essential.
Typically between 10 and 22 participants.
Before booking, please refer to Travel.State.Gov to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting. As a British company we follow the advice of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
Dates & prices
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2027
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
1st - 6th June 2027
Speaker:
Mr Charlie MacKeith
Price:
from US$4,980
(Based on two sharing)Combine with
We are happy to advise on combining this itinerary with another tour or event. Please contact us for information about linking accommodation and transport.
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