Giudecca is only a short gondola ride from San Marco and in the 18th century was Venice’s “garden of delights”.
Alongside noble residences (such as Palazzo Vendramin, Palazzo Dandolo, Palazzo Barbaro Nani) there were modest “pavilions” for shorter stays, called “casini”.
Today the Giudecca is much changed, but some of the gardens which were the favourite summer retreats of the Venetian noble families still exist.
There were convents (such as Zitelle and le Convertite), Academies, like the Academy of Philosophy, the Convito dei Nobili and, above all, parks, orchards and vineyards where the city dwellers, normally confined to narrow alleys and small courtyards, could enjoy fresh air and open spaces, as well as the then famous “vin salso”, called in this way because of its characteristic salty after-taste, due to the vicinity of the lagoon.
Famous amongst the sites of interest on the Giudecca are; Palladio's Church of Redentore, built in thanksgiving for the end of the plague in the 16th Century and the centre of the annual Redentore Feast Day; and the Church if Santa Maria della Presentazione on the Zitelle.
