Addison in Venice - Last Chance

Brian Allen, Mary Stripp & R. Crosby Kemper Director of the Addison, posts this reminder of a one-of-a-kind travel opportunity to visit the Addison's greatest treasures in Venice.

"Addison in Venice: Celebrating the Anniversary Year of Andrea Palladio (1508-80)
September 14-22, 2008

This September you will have the opportunity to experience treasures from the Addison in the jewel of Italy - objects from the Addison collection will be on exhibition at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. I am writing today to invite you to join me in a once in a lifetime adventure for Phillips Academy alumni and friends from September 14 to 22 in the majestic city of Venice.

Coming of Age: American Art 1850s to 1950s, an exhibition of seventy of the Addison's greatest paintings and sculptures, will be on view at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice beginning June 28. In honor of this historic event, the Addison has organized a trip of sublime quality. Led by Peter Lauritzen, a renowned architectural historian based in Venice, and me, we will visit palaces and villas normally not accessible to the public in Venice and the Veneto region. A more elegant and special experience of Venice would be hard to imagine.

A unique focus of this trip is the architecture of Andrea Palladio - this year marks the 500th anniversary of his birth. Palladio is, in many respects, among the most important "fathers" of the Addison's beautifully proportioned Charles Platt building. With the Addison Gallery about to get its first renovation and addition in over 75 years, it is indeed fitting to salute both the wonderful Addison show traveling to Venice and one of Charles Platt's greatest sources of inspiration.

This trip has many marvelous features. Among the private sites opened for our enjoyment are:

· Secret Itineraries, a chance to explore rarely seen rooms and hidden corners of the Doge's Palace, from which the great Venetian Empire was administered.

· The Palazzo Albrizzi, the most spectacular Baroque palace in Venice and still a private family home, where we will be hosted by Baron Albrizzi.

· A private visit to Basilica di San Marco at night where our group will enjoy a tour of this Byzantine basilica's beautiful golden mosaics specially illuminated just for us.

· A private reception on the roof of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, one of the best views in Venice.

· A special tour of the Benedictine convent adjacent to San Giorgio Maggiore, not open to the public.

· A tour of the private La Rotonda, one of Palladio's most influential villas, with its owner, Conte Lodovico di Valmarana.

· A festive dinner at the Palazzo Tiepolo hosted by Contessa Leila Passi, the palace's owner.

Venice has, of course, inspired great art since the Byzantine era. Our trip will include a morning in the mysterious island of Torcello, the region's original 6th century settlement, where we will see the surviving mosaics of Venice's original cathedral. We will have lunch at Locanda Cipriani, one of the most elegant restaurants in the city. Exploring the city of Venice, we will follow the footsteps and view the masterpieces of Giorgione, Titian, Tintoretto, and Tiepolo and also experience the sights that have profoundly inspired American artists such as Whistler and Sargent. And we will enjoy some of their most exquisite Venice-inspired works from the Addison's collection in Coming of Age at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

Please respond at your earliest convenience as reservations are limited and will be on a first come, first served basis. Please click here for the full itinerary and information on how to sign up.

I hope you can join us on this remarkable adventure!

Very truly yours,
Brian T. Allen"