Looking at the tiny heads that adorned the facade of the building pictured above, I could not help but wonder if they were portraits of the family that lived there.

The Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista is a confraternity building that was founded in the 13th century, and is one of the five Scuole Grandi of Venice.  Even though the school and its museum were open, we opted to save them for another time.

By now, it was mid-afternoon, and so we decided to stop for some lunch.  We found a trattoria that had tables outside, and sat down to enjoy a nice midday meal.  The food at Trattoria Anzolo Raffaele was delicious, the staff was friendly, and all in all, we were quite happy with our experience, despite the strong wind that burst through the campo, every now and then, threatening to blow away our napkins, and other items on the table.  For lunch, we had a sort of artichoke lasagna, as well as veal with spinach.

Stomachs sated, we continued on our way, heading back to the Giardini Papadopoli.  The gardens sit on land that was once occupied by the Monastery of Santa Croce.  They date from 1834, and the park area was designed by Francesco Bagnara.

 

Next up: We explore the gardens and more, as we wrap up our third day in Venice!

 

Note: This blog is written in English and Spanish, and the author takes no responsibility for the quality of any other translations that may appear.  If you have enjoyed this post, please, check out our archives for more posts from Venice, as well as other Italian destinations.  Grazie!