Poetic Walk

In September 1908, nineteen-year-old Jean Cocteau visited Venice with his mother. The trip marked a crucial moment in the artist’s life during which he revealed his passions. While in the floating city, he met and fell in love with poet Raymond Laurent, two years his junior, who days later shot himself dead on the steps of the Basilica della Salute. From that moment, Cocteau always felt a strong connection to Venice, which provided the inspiration for the poems published in Gondole des morts, published by Scheiwiller in 1959. His numerous drawings of Venice depict his favorite locations, such as the Church of San Giorgio, or iconic subjects such as gondoliers or his friend Peggy Guggenheim.

Poetic Walk sees Luca Scarlini, author of A-Z Cocteau (2022), lead participants on a walk through some of the places in Venice that were most meaningful to Jean Cocteau and connected either his turbulent youth or the success of his mature life. The walk starts at Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, the former home of Peggy Guggenheim and the site of the museum, and continues on to various parts of the city dotted around the Dorsoduro and San Marco neighborhoods.

Note

• Participation is free.
• The event is in Italian and lasts two hours.
• After registering, participants will receive further information about the meeting point and the rest of the walk.

For futher information:
+39 0412405430
didattica@guggenheim-venice.it