The greatest collection of Venetian painting in the world, spanning five centuries from Bellini and Carpaccio through Titian and Tintoretto to Canaletto. Housed in a former convent and church on the Dorsoduro bank of the Grand Canal. Essential for understanding Venetian art: the transition from Byzantine gold to Renaissance naturalism, the Venetian mastery of colour and light.
Allow 2–3 hours for the highlights. The room with Bellini's polyptych altarpieces and the room with Giorgione's Tempest are the most discussed. Book ahead in high season.