Rita Crane Photography: Quiet Street Scene, Cannaregio Sestiere, Venice
To the north of the crowded areas around Piazza San Marco, in winter, one can catch a glimpse of another Venice. It was a cold March afternoon and this district, for example, was virtually deserted except for the occasional lone passerby.
A glimpse of the San Gesuiti church in the distance, framed by the ancient "Houses of the Guilds" were illuminated dramatically by the low lying sun.....which is what originally caught my eye. I took several views of the scene, but my favorite was this one, with a single pedestrian, that brought the place to life.
Tucked in among the more basic yet very colorful working class residences was the baroque church of the Jesuits. I loved especially the way the sun cut through the shade, creating wonderful visual contrast, sparking the scene with its powerful rays .........and how the angels on the facade of the church appeared to be watching the occasional passersby on this nearly empty street. The houses in this area are associated with the historic guilds. On the walls are symbols or inscriptions referring to coopers, tailors, and weavers.
If you'd like to read more about this northern Venice district, here's an excerpt from Wikipedia's description at this link en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannaregio:
"Cannaregio is one of the six historic sestieri (districts) of Venice, and the northernmost of the city. It also has the largest population, of around 20,000 people.
The Cannaregio Canal gave the district its name; before the construction of a railway link into Venice, the canal was the main entrance for visitors to Venice.
The quarter, the second largest of the city, was developed from the eleventh century. As the area was drained, parallel canals were dredged and the area became known for its working class housing, with a few grand palaces, mostly facing the Grand Canal. The district later became known for manufacturing, while in the nineteenth century the Strada Nuova street was run through Cannaregio, a railway bridge and later a road bridge to the mainland were constructed."
Rita Crane Photography: Quiet Street Scene, Cannaregio Sestiere, Venice
To the north of the crowded areas around Piazza San Marco, in winter, one can catch a glimpse of another Venice. It was a cold March afternoon and this district, for example, was virtually deserted except for the occasional lone passerby.
A glimpse of the San Gesuiti church in the distance, framed by the ancient "Houses of the Guilds" were illuminated dramatically by the low lying sun.....which is what originally caught my eye. I took several views of the scene, but my favorite was this one, with a single pedestrian, that brought the place to life.
Tucked in among the more basic yet very colorful working class residences was the baroque church of the Jesuits. I loved especially the way the sun cut through the shade, creating wonderful visual contrast, sparking the scene with its powerful rays .........and how the angels on the facade of the church appeared to be watching the occasional passersby on this nearly empty street. The houses in this area are associated with the historic guilds. On the walls are symbols or inscriptions referring to coopers, tailors, and weavers.
If you'd like to read more about this northern Venice district, here's an excerpt from Wikipedia's description at this link en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannaregio:
"Cannaregio is one of the six historic sestieri (districts) of Venice, and the northernmost of the city. It also has the largest population, of around 20,000 people.
The Cannaregio Canal gave the district its name; before the construction of a railway link into Venice, the canal was the main entrance for visitors to Venice.
The quarter, the second largest of the city, was developed from the eleventh century. As the area was drained, parallel canals were dredged and the area became known for its working class housing, with a few grand palaces, mostly facing the Grand Canal. The district later became known for manufacturing, while in the nineteenth century the Strada Nuova street was run through Cannaregio, a railway bridge and later a road bridge to the mainland were constructed."