The Gallerie dell’Accademia is, hands down, the best place to see some art, eat a panino and soak up some beautiful views of Venice.

It exists at the foot of the Accademia Bridge, one of the most famous bridges in Venice and the precise sport where almost every postcard photo ever has been taken. Although the Accademia seems very intimate compared to the chaos and fervor of the Venice Biennale, for instance, it is by no means a small beast; it’s a history lesson of Renaissance flourish in Venice, and almost every work displayed is a stand-alone masterpiece. In other words, you might not want to go on a time crunch or else, like me, you’ll be apologizing under your breath as you speed past Titians and Tintorettos. 

We have Napoleon Bonaparte to thank for this artistic repository, which has become the largest state museum in Venice following a twelve year restoration by Venetian architect Tobia Scarpa which doubled the exhibition space, making it larger than the Uffizi in Florence. The building—partially designed by Andrea Palladio—dates back to 1343 and was originally inhabited by the Scuola Grande della Carità, the oldest of six confraternities in Venice at the time. 

Eventually, Napoleon ordered closed many churches and religious institutions in Venice with the intention of compiling all of the art in one place for students to observe. The Scuola was closed down and replaced with a School of Fine Arts (the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia). The occupancy finally changed again in 2004 when the School of Fine Arts separated from the Accademia and moved to a new location. Since then, the building has been the permanent home of the Gallerie dell’Accademia with the church of Santa Maria della Carità and the monastery of the Canonici Lateranensi comprising part of the complex.

In 2015, Paola Marini was named director, with the intention that she will breathe new life into the museum and bring global attention to the collection. 

Beautiful (and vintage!) views of the building can be seen in Katharine Hepburn’s 1955 film, Summertime.