Museo delle Icone

Glowing colours and all-seeing eyes fill the gallery of the Museum of Icons, a treasure box of some 80 Greek icons made in 14th- to 17th-century Italy – especially the expressive San Giovanni Climaco, which shows the saintly author of a Greek spiritual guide distracted from his work by visions of souls diving into hell. The museum goes by a confusing variety of names: it’s also known as the Museo dei Dipinti Sacri Bizantini (Museum of Holy Byzantine Paintings), attached to the Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Greci, and technically, it’s housed in the Istituto Ellenico (Hellenic Institute). This seat of Venice’s Greek Orthodox community was built by Baldassare Longhena, served as a hospital for the poor into the 20th century, and stands as a monument to the city’s ethnic diversity and religious tolerance.