Chiesa Di Santa Maria Gloriosa Dei Frari

Lonely Planet review

If you have seen Notre Dame in Paris or Cologne's Dom, you might be thinking: what is so Gothic about the Frari? Built for the Franciscans in the 14th and 15th centuries of brick rather than stone, and bereft of flying buttresses, pinnacles, gargoyles and virtually any other sign of decoration inside or out, it is a singularly austere interpretation of the style.

Nevertheless, some features give it away, among them the Latin-cross plan (with three naves and a transept), the high vaulted ceiling and its sheer, soaring size. A look inside is a must on any art-lover's tour of the city.

The simplicity of the interior (a red-and-white marble floor, with the same colours dominating the walls and ceiling) is offset by the paintings and funereal monuments. Titian is the main attraction. His dramatic Assunta (Assumption; 1518), above the high altar, praised unreservedly by all and sundry as a work of inspired genius, represents a key moment in his rise as one of the city's greatest artists.

Another of his masterpieces, the Madonna di Ca' Pesaro (Madonna of Ca' Pesaro), hangs above the Pesaro altar (in the left-hand aisle, near the choir stalls). Also of note are Giovanni Bellini's triptych in the apse of the sacristy, and Donatello's statue of Giovanni Battista (John the Baptist) in the first chapel to the right of the high altar.