Like canals, gondolas and palaces, music is also part of the Venetian identity. Especially the music of Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), who even in the periods in which he lived far from his hometown always remained linked to it. And although the composer’s biography continues to have gaps, it is easy to visit Venice in his footsteps… and in his footsteps.

Our tour begins at the small church of San Giovanni in Bragora, in the Castello neighborhood. Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was baptized there on the same day of his birth, March 4, 1678. The ceremony was rushed due to the risk that the baby could die, after an accidentd birth and on a day in which the earth shook. Circumstances to which he would attribute, throughout his life, his delicate health.

Today in the temple, under a bust of the composer, a framed copy of his baptismal certificate is preserved. You can also admire the original baptistery, made of pink Verona marble.

San Giovanni in Bragora was founded in the 17th century. VIII but rebuilt several times. Its current appearance, with a late Venetian Gothic brick façade, corresponds to the renovation of 1475-1505. A suitable stage, both due to its dimensions and its acoustics, for works with a small number of performers. For example, Vivaldi’s variations on La follia (“Madness”, a very appropriate title considering his eventful arrival into the world).

During his childhood, the future musician lived in the same church square. He then moved up to three times within Venice. In San Giovanni in Bragora, in fact, you can see photos of some of his houses. Among them, that of the Ponte de Paradiso, where he lived between 1722 and 1730.

By then Vivaldi had already abandoned the active priesthood. He had been ordained in 1703 and was known as Il prete rosso (“The Red Priest”) because of the color of his hair. He gave up his habits after three years, citing a chronic respiratory illness, possibly asthma, that prevented him from saying mass.

The Ponte del Paradiso, also located in Castello, is built with red bricks of Istrian stone and is just five and a half meters long. Scholars debate whether or not its name derives from the patrician Paradiso family. UNESCO, for its part, points to a more festive hypothesis: it attributes it to the lighting that was in the area during the nights of celebration.

Be that as it may, it seems like an ideal place to remember those nights with the original performances of a group called precisely Red Priest (“The Red Priest”).

Vivaldi was a precocious violin virtuoso. His father, Gianbattista – also an excellent violinist – played in the chapel of San Marcos; and thanks to him, Antonio was able to join the basilica orchestra. The temple, one of the most recognizable and visited icons of Venice, is associated with other great names in the history of music. This is the case of Claudio Monteverdi and Francesco Cavalli (both chapel teachers) or Claudio Merulo and Giovanni Gabrieli (organists).

Work on the current Byzantine-style basilica began in the mid-11th century. But the original construction dates back more than 200 years, when two merchants supposedly seized the remains of Saint Mark the Evangelist in Alexandria to transport them to Venice. The main altar houses his tomb, made of black and white marble.

To musically liven up a visit to the temple, the most appropriate thing would be some of the sacred works of Vivaldi.

Most of Vivaldian compositions – sacred music, concertos, cantatas… – were written for the Ospedale della Pietà. It was a charitable institution that welcomed and gave musical instruction to orphaned minors. When they reached the age of 15, the girls had to leave the hospice. But the most promising performers could join the Ospedale choir and orchestra, both highly prestigious groups.

Vivaldi dedicated almost 30 years to that orphanage, in two stages (1703-1715 and 1723-1740) in which he held different positions. Several of his scores, by the way, were dedicated to young people from the institution.

The former Ospedale site currently houses the Metropole hotel. Next to him stands the church of Santa Maria della Pietà, known as Vivaldi’s church… although it was not completed until 20 years after his death. The composer, however, did advise the temple’s architect, Giorgio Massari. He told him where to place the choirs and how to acoustically isolate the interior of the venue. The church, with its oval shape, therefore enjoys excellent acoustics. As for its decoration, the ceiling fresco by Giambattista Tiepolo stands out: The Theological Virtues.

This BBC recording recreates a concert by the choir and orchestra of the Ospedale della Pietà, with the performers behind the lattices – since they were hidden from the public eye – in Santa María della Pietà.

The last stage of our tour is the Teatro Sant’Angelo, where Vivaldi worked as an impresario and premiered many of his operas starting in 1715. The theater was active between 1677 and 1803, when it was converted into a warehouse. Today in its place stands a hotel, the NH Palazzo Barocci.

Among the Vivaldian operas premiered on that stage is L’Olimpiade (February 17, 1734).