Chiesa della Madonna dell’Orto

Top choice in Venice


This elegantly spare 1365 brick Gothic church remains one of Venice's best-kept secrets. It was the parish church of Venetian Renaissance painter Tintoretto (1518–94), who is buried in the chapel to the right of the altar. Inside, you'll find two of Tintoretto's finest works: Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple and Last Judgment, where lost souls attempt to hold back a teal tidal wave while an angel rescues one last person from the ultimate acqua alta (high tide).

It also once included a Bellini masterpiece, stolen in 1993 – note the empty space in the side chapel.