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“L’entrata nel Canal Grande dalla Basilica della Salute” (c. 1740-1745), Canaletto.

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Canaletto’s greatest masterpiece goes on display in the same place where it was originally conceived 270 years ago: the Abbazia di San Gregorio in Venice.

The exhibition starts from the interior of the abbey and ends in the corner room (the loggiato)��where the artwork, “L’entrata nel Canal Grande dalla Basilica della Salute” (c. 1740-1745),��is displayed - with a surprise: from the window, visitors will be able to see the exact same view shown on the painting that inspired Canaletto.

To make the visit even more evocative is the possibility to see the artwork alone and at night; but it will cost you. A ticket for such a visit costs Euro 400. If you trade night with day it will be a little cheaper, 280 Euro. In a group (8 people) it is Euro 50 at night or 35 during the day.

“More than an exhibition this is an emotional journey,” the curator says.

“L’entrata nel Canal Grande dalla Basilica della Salute” by the Venetian-born painter shows a splendid view of Venice: the Basilica della Salute, the Magazzini del Sale (salt warehouses), the Gran Canal, the gondolas, the Doge’s Palace and Riva degli Schiavoni, along with all the liveliness of Venice as an important center of commerce: noblemen and merchants on the steps of the Palazzo Ducale, boatmen and local gondoliers moored in front of the Basilica, sacks of salt, barrels of wine and bales of cotton being stored in the warehouses at the Punta della Dogana.

Canaletto was an 18th-century���������� painter of landscapes, or vedute, of Venice. ��The painting was probably originally purchased by Henry Grey, the Duke of Kent (c. 1664 – 1740), and then passed down to become part of the collection of Lady Lucas and Dingwall. More recently, in 1970, it was auctioned by Sotheby’s London where it was bought by its current private owner.

The exhibition, called “Gero Qua Canaletto” (“I was here Canaletto” in Venetian dialect), is open 24 hours a day from November 10 to December 27.

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