Chiesa di San Francesco della Vigna

Designed and built by Jacopo Sansovino with a facade by a precocious Palladio in his first church commission, this enchanting Franciscan church is one of Venice’s most underrated attractions. The Madonna positively glows in Bellini’s 1507 Madonna and Saints in the Capella Santa just off the flower-carpeted cloister courtyard, while swimming angels and strutting birds steal the scene in Antonio da Negroponte’s c 1460–70 delightful Virgin Enthroned. Palladio and the Madonna are tough acts to follow, but father–son sculptors Pietro and Tullio Lombardo’s 15th-century marble reliefs of saints and the life of Christ, housed in the Cappella Giustiniani, in the north transept left of the altar, are storytelling triumphs. Keep your eye on the expressive reactions of minor figures in these biblical narratives that provide a running commentary on the action, down to the startled mule. Breezes seem to ripple through the Lombardos’ carved-marble trees, and lifelike lions seem prepared to pounce right off the wall. Outside, the bell tower out back looks like the long-lost twin of the Campanile di San Marco, and facing north, a couple of steps leading to a portico of classical columns make the campo look like a proper ancient Roman agora. This makes a sociable setting for Venice’s best annual block party, the Festa di Francesco della Vigna, with wine and rustic fare served in the stately shadow of Palladio; usually held the third week in June.