Sometimes called “Tintoretto’s Sistine Chapel,” this lavish meeting hall (next to the Frari Church) has some 50 large, colorful Tintoretto paintings plastered to the walls and ceilings. The best paintings are upstairs, especially the Crucifixion in the smaller room.
Everyone wanted the commission to paint this building dedicated to St. Roch, patron saint of the plague-stricken, so Tintoretto cheated: instead of producing sketches like rival Veronese, he gifted a splendid ceiling panel of the saint, knowing it couldn’t be refused, or matched by other artists.
This painting still crowns the Sala dell’Albergo, upstairs, and Tintoretto’s work completely covers the walls and ceilings of all the main halls.
