Ospedale Civile, Venice
Few hospitals have grander facades than the Ospedale Civile in Venice, described by Ruskin as one of the most refined buildings in the city. The structure was originally the Scuola Granda di San Marco, the home of a Venetian confraternity (completed 1495); hence the trompe l’oeil panels with which it is decorated, representing scenes from the life of St Mark. It was converted into a hospital at the beginning of the 19th century. Like most Venetian buildings, the most convenient access is from the canal, and so patients arrive by water ambulance.
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