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The maze in the garden of the monastery of St Giorgio Maggiore in Venice
Unknown places & works
The maze in the garden of the monastery of St Giorgio Maggiore in Venice
Just across from the beautiful St Mark's Square is an island that amazes all visitors for its architectural beauty. It is the Benedictine complex of St Giorgio Maggiore, and according to legend it is the oldest monastery built in the lagoon!
The church and monastery were built in the second half of the 1500s by the famous architect Andrea Palladio and must be seen for all those who love classicism. Also, the outside of the complex deserves a thorough visit, for its cloisters and magnificent garden.
In 2012, to mark the 25th anniversary of the death of the famous Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, a maze of boxwood bushes in memory of one of his most famous stories - 'The Garden of forking paths' - was created. It was precisely centred on a maze.
One of the most interesting aspects of the maze, which is more than a kilometre in length, is the allusion to Borges's blindness. Blind people can walk along the maze accompanied by a handrail and along the way, there are panels with the story of the Argentine writer transcribed into Braille.
In the cloister there are different objects related to the artist and his works are exhibited: a walking stick, a mirror, an hourglass, a tiger and a huge question mark. In this way we enter physically and metaphorically in the magical world of Borges!
St Giorgio Maggiore island is only accessible by water. Starting from Venice St Lucia or Piazzale Roma train station, the Venice public transport system line 2, will take you to the island in front of St Mark's Square in about 30 minutes!
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