Telecom Italia Future Centre

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Continued from page 1

Archived article (2004)

ABOVE: The larger of two cloisters at the Ex Convento S. Salvador. INSET BELOW: Canal gate in the water theatre.

San Salvador Convent

The San Salvador convent dates back to the 11th and 12th Centuries. The Romanesque and Gothic buildings were given a Renaissance overhaul in the 16th Century, when a series of frescos by Fermo Ghisoni (see refectory photo) were added.

As the Venetian Republic went into decline, so did the Convento--and after Napoleon's Army conquered Venice in 1797, the convent became a military barracks during the French and Austrian occupations. The Italian telephone network took over the complex of buildings in 1925, and today--after a major restoration and conversion program--the S. Salvador convent is open to the public.

Several areas of the complex are of architectural or historic interest, even to the layman:

• The two large cloisters (see photo at top of page).

• The water theatre, where you can see a barred canal gate that bears a strong resemblance to the Traitors' Gate at the Tower of London. (See inset photo above.)

• The refectory (see photo), which is elaborately decorated with 16th Century frescoes and stuccowork by Fermo Ghisoni.

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