Free visit to the masterpieces of Venice Accademia Galleries

The Venice Accademia Galleries  collect the best of Venetian art from the XIV to the XVIII century, including some masterpieces of the Venetian Renaissance by Giovanni Bellini, Carpaccio, Giorgione, Veronese, Tintoretto and Titian. Be aware that the famous Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci is exposed only on special occasions. I have not seen it.

The Galleria was founded in 1750, in another location, near Piazza San Marco. In 1797 Venice became one of the provinces of the Regno d’Italia (Kingdom of Italy) created by Napoleon. Many objects were thus unfortunately scattered.

Venice Accademia Galleries

I went to visti Venice Accademia Galleries with my husband on a Sunday morning (first Sunday of the month, in which the entrance was for free. Pay attention: I’m not sure that this initiative will last forever so check their website). There was a little crowd to go in. They let in only 15 people at time, so we waited approximately 20 minutes. When we got in, it was very strange. No one told us what to do, so some people climbed immediately the stairs to go up, others went to the ticket office to take audio-guides, and we didn’t know what to do, if we could keep our bags or not. We asked and they said we could pass because our bags were small. Anyhow, you can find self-service lockers for 1€ (refunded when you depart).

I will say at once all the negative aspects:

1. 1. At the entrance of every room there are some explicative sheets. You can take one of them with you and then put it back, before leaving the room. But the amount is not sufficient.
   2. The path to follow during the visit is not clear. For example, to go to room 2 you have to climb some steps hidden behind a large altarpiece. Who knew?
   3. The lighting was not great.
   4. To go to the toilet you have to do a journey to the centre of the earth (luckily there’s a lift).
   5. The bookshop is practically non-existent and there’s no café.

I may have even forgotten something. So if you’re not interested in art, if museums bore you, maybe this is not the right place for you: no interactive panels, no funny things to see, nothing innovative. But there’s a but. If you really like art and museums, and you want to discover some unique pieces, I think that you should go. Art history has been part of my education, so I already knew many of the works displayed, and it was a great joy for me to see them.

I must confess that I get bored too if I stay too long in a museum. I prefer small museums (such as the Rodin Museum in Paris, an authentic marvel). If the museum is big, I focus on the works that interest me more. I’m not able reading everything, paying attention to everything. I admire people who can do that. Me? No.

It took me about 2 hours to visit the Gallerie. If you are eager to know what are the most beautiful and interesting paintings on display, you can read my post about the Highlights of the Gallerie dell’Accademia.

PLUS

• Some true masterpieces of Venetian art
• Accessible to people with disabilities
• Self-service lockers available

MINUS

• Mostly religious artwork, but you have to consider that the majority of Italian art in past centuries had a religious purpose
• Itinerary to follow not clear
• Unsatisfying additional services