A Wall in Venice

For the really curious, this is a building on the Rio di Santa Caterina near the imposing church of Madonna dell'Orto. Its exterior is in more disrepair than the average structure in Venice--but not by very much. Even along the Grand Canal one sees a certain amount of peeling stucco. (I think a native Venetian, transplanted, say, to an American suburb would find it hard to adjust to how fanatically those natives look after the outside of their homes :-)

Details to note (ideally viewing in large): Boats are parked in front (there are absolutely no motorized land vehicles on the main Venetian island); the plants in the upper left, though barely visible, seem well-tended--people live here. There are external pipes; the plaster medallion (often a small relief) above the door is typical. The slanting iron bars left of center serve to reinforce the structure (they cap a rod extending to the opposite wall and are tightened by a bolt in the center).

Finally, there's a tiny SP reflected in the window to the right of the door :) And I'm tickled by the name of the canal--my mother was named Catherine.

Tintoretto[/b]]Tintoretto--a rival of Titian for much of his life--lived in this area, and contributed very major works to Madonna dell'Orto. He is buried there, and this altogether makes the church an important pilgrimage in Venice.