Museo Civico Correr

The Msueo Correr in Venice
A room in the Msueo Correr in Venice. (Photo by La Citta Vita)

The history of Venice, in paintings

Portrait of Doge Giovanni Mocenigo (1480) by Gentile Bellini, in the Museo Correr of Venice
Portrait of Doge Giovanni Mocenigo (1480) by Gentile Bellini.
This city museum installed above the arcades alongside Piazza San Marco is no match for the Accademia but does include some interesting paintings of Venetian life, plus a fine collection of artifacts (like coins, costumes, the doges' ceremonial robes and hats, and an incredible pair of 15-inch platform shoes) that gives an interesting feel for aspects of daily life in the city’s heyday.

Bequeathed to Venice by the aristocratic Correr family in 1830, the museum is divided into three sections: the Painting Section, the History Section, and the Museum of the Risorgimento (Italy's 1797–1866 unification movement).

The Quadreria (Paintings Collection)

Two Venetian Ladies / The Courtesans) (1490-1510) by Vittore Carpaccio in the Museo Civico Correr of Venice
Two Ladies of Venice ("The Courtesans") (1507) by Vittore Carpaccio.
Of the painting collection from the 13th to the 18th centuries, Vittore Carpaccio's Le Cortigiane ("The Courtesans"), in room no. 15 on the upper floor, is one of the museum's most famous works—though there’s a question as to whether the subjects are actually courtesans or if they might not actually be respectable noble ladies.

Among the other star attractions are paintings by the Bellini family (father Jacopo and talented sons Gentile and Giovanni), some fine works by Cosimo Tura, and a sadly much-deteriorated Pietá by Antonello da Messina, who stayed here in Venice in 1476.

For a lesson in just how little this city has changed in the last several hundred years, head to room no. 22 and its bird's-eye view of Venice in 1500, a woodcut rpint made form six blocks by Jacopo de' Barbari.

Giovanni Bellini Pieta (1460) in the Museo Civico Correr, Venice
Pietà (1460) by Giovanni Bellini.
Most of the rooms have a sign with a few paragraphs in English explaining the significance of the contents.

The Museo del Risorgimento and Museo della Storia

Frankly, these two Correr museums aren't all that interesting to those who are not already aficionados of Italian history and/or hard-core academics.

The Risorgimento (Italy 19th-century unification movement) is the sort of thing every Italian kid studies ad nauseam in school but no one else cares about—though once you learn about it, you will know the national heroes (Garibaldi, Cavour, Vittorio Emanuele II, etc.) behind 60% of the street and piazza names in Italy.

The Cantonese statue of Marco Polo in Venice's Museo Correr
A copy of a Cantonese statue said to be of Marco Polo. (Photo courtesy of MUVE)
Two fun items in the History Museum:

  1. In the four rooms dedicated to late 17th century Doge Francesco Morosini, who as an admiral had conquered the Peleponesse, is his prayer book, complete with hidden dagger.
  2. In the room dedicated to "commerce and navigation" is a gilded wooden statue made in the 18th century, a copy of one that was worshipped in a temple in Canton and is said to have been an effigy of none other than famed Venetian explorer Marco Polo.

Tips & links

Details

Museo Civico Correr
Piazza San Marco 52
Vaporetto: San Marco
tel. +39-041-240-5211
www.visitmuve.it

With Museum Pass: free

Open Apr-Oct daily 9am–7pm
Open Nov–Mar daily 9am–5pm

4 museums: I Musei di San Marco

The standard entry ticket actually covers four museums on the square—hence its name: I Musei di Piazza San Marco—so, in addition to the Museo Correr, you also get entry into one of Venice's top sights, the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace).

If you have the extra time, you can also use this ticket to pop into the other two museums on the piazza: the (frankly less interesting) Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Archaeological Museum) and Sale Monumentali della Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (frescoed, monumental rooms of the Marciana Library).

How long does the Museo Correr take?

Planning your day: Honestly, you can zip through here in 30–45 minutes, easy.

The ticket office closes 1 hour before the museum does.

Venice itineraries

Museum Pass

If, in addition to those museums on Piazza San Marco, you intend also to visit the Ca' Rezzonico and at least two of the other sights it covers—like the Ca’ Pesaro or the Glass Museum on Murano—go ahead and buy the Venice Museum Pass; it'll save you money

Nearby sights, dining, hotels

Sights nearby
★★★ Piazza San Marco
★★★ St. Marks' Basilica
★★★ Palazzo Ducale
★★★ Grand Canal
★ Campanile di San Marco
Bacino Orseolo (gondola parking lot)

Where to eat nearby
★★★ Bistrot de Venise (meal)
★ Da Aciugheta (meal/pizza)
★★ Osteria a la Campana (light meal)
★★ Vino Vino (light meal)
Rosticceria Teatro Goldoni (light meal/snack)

Hotels nearby
Hotel Danieli (splurge)
Hotel ai do Mori (moderate)
Hotel Violino d'Oro (moderate)


» More hotels in San Marco from Booking.com

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Details
Museo Civico Correr
Piazza San Marco 52
Vaporetto: San Marco
tel. +39-041-240-5211
www.visitmuve.it
Open Apr-Oct daily 9am–7pm
Open Nov–Mar daily 9am–5pm
Adm
With Museum Pass: free
Nearby
Sights nearby
★★★ Piazza San Marco
★★★ St. Marks' Basilica
★★★ Palazzo Ducale
★★★ Grand Canal
★ Campanile di San Marco
Bacino Orseolo (gondola parking lot)

Where to eat nearby
★★★ Bistrot de Venise (meal)
★ Da Aciugheta (meal/pizza)
★★ Osteria a la Campana (light meal)
★★ Vino Vino (light meal)
Rosticceria Teatro Goldoni (light meal/snack)

Hotels nearby
Hotel Danieli (splurge)
Hotel ai do Mori (moderate)
Hotel Violino d'Oro (moderate)


» More hotels in San Marco from Booking.com


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