I have been to Venice twice before I decided to give Accademia a visit. I had heard about it, of course, and advised my my Italian neighbour who I fondly call Nonna, to go!

So when Venice was the first stop of my daughter’s graduation/18th birthday trip, we did just that – visit Accademia and get our art culture on!

Tickets were only €15 which I found quite reasonable. There may be a cheaper option, but we decided on the day of, to go, so we paid this price.

Accademia Gallery of Venice was born in 1750, when the Venetian Republic decided to give the city an Academy of painters and sculptors.

The galleries are housed in three important religious buildings, the Scuola Grande of Santa Maria della Carità, the church Santa Maria della Carità and the Monastery of Canonici Lateranensi.

The Accademia Gallery became independent of the Academy of Fine Arts of Venice in 1879.

The Accademia Gallery is located on the south bank of the Grand Canal, in the Dorsoduro neighborhood, at the foot of the Academy Bridge.

Currently the museum houses a rich collection of Venetian paintings ranging from the Byzantine to the Gothic until reaching Renaissance artists, Bellini, Carpaccio, Giorgione, Veronese, Tintoretto and Tiziano to Giambattista Tiepolo and the 1600’s Canaletto vedutisti, Guardi, Bellotto, Longhi; all of them artists who influenced the history of European painting.

The Accademia Gallery of Venice is an essential visit for painting enthusiasts; it is the most important museum that you can visit during your stay in Venice.

The Academy was intended to bring together under one roof all the works of art that were scattered throughout Venice. The collection has increased over time thanks to private donations and acquisitions, so currently has more than 800 paintings from 1200 to the 18th century.

Nearby the Accademia Gallery of Venice is the well-known St. Mark Square (Piazza San Marco), the heart of Venice, with its 180 meters long by 70 meters wide, is the only square in Venice of this size and beauty. St. Mark’s Square is one of the most beautiful squares in the world and has several buildings facing the square, including the Basilica of San Marco, the Doge’s Palace, the Correr Museum, the Bell Tower of the basilica and the Torre dell’Orologio (Clock tower).