You are now under the water entrance of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, one of the most important art collections in the world. Peggy Guggenheim, originally from New York, arrived in Venice in 1949 and began to satisfy art addiction buying this wonderful building where she displayed invaluable artworks to the world. The beautiful terrace you see is where Guggenheim sun-bathed regularly looking onto the Grand Canal.
While she lived here, she had a daily routine of taking gondola rides around the city for no less than 4 hours at a time in the company of her beloved dogs.
Despite this tranquil pastime, she famously led a life of unrestrained pleasure, and is said to have had over a thousand lovers in her life, among which many of the artists she patronaged. That said, she always felt her one true love was Venice, as she herself put it: “It is always assumed that Venice is the ideal place for a honeymoon. This is a grave error. To live in Venice or even to visit it means that you fall in love with the city itself. There is nothing left over in your heart for anyone else.”
