Behind the altar

This priceless altar piece made of gold and 2,000 precious gems was commissioned by two early Doges. It is mounted on a swivel and on special occasions it is turned around to face the congregation. The Venetians successfully hid it from their French conquerors, otherwise it would now be in the Louvre!

Venice

May 16th 2017
Geo: 45.4343, 12.339Venice comprises 118 islands connected by 400 bridges. For ten centuries (until conquered by Napoleon) Venice was a republic with a figurehead Doge (Duke) elected by the Senate. Napoleon gave Venice to the Austrians and Venice then became part of the Unified Italy in 1866.We said farewell to our coach and water-taxied into the city. After lunch we toured the Doge's P ... read more

Europe » Italy » Veneto

Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI establis... ... read more

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