Vivaldi in Venice

In Venice we came across the free Museum of Music, Museo della Musica, well worth a visit. Besides a good collection of instruments and an exhibit about violin making, the museum gives an interesting look at the life of Antonio Vivaldi, composer and musician from Venice, in an exhibit called Antonio Vivaldi e il suo tempo. The Museo della Musica, in the San Polo district (see Venice Sestiere Map), is by the Renaissance Scuola Grande di San Rocco art museum and close to the San Toma' vaporetto stop.

In the Castello sestiere there's a Vivaldi Museum in the Pieta Church, the orphanage where Vivaldi worked for many years. It has items relating to Vivaldi and the orphanage. You can read more about the Pieta orphanage and Vivaldi in Barbara Quick's historical fiction book, Vivaldi's Virgins (compare prices), a fascinating look at a little known part of Venice's history. Even though it's fiction, much of the book is based on historical fact. The book raises the possibility that Vivaldi had a child and now recent information has come to light that he did have a son who died in a shipwreck according to Buongiorno Venezia.

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