Looking easterly from the Molo, the main eyecatcher - rising between the equestrian monument to King Vittorio Emanuele II and the tugboats berthed in the distance - is the white deception of Santa Maria della Visitazione , known less cumbersomely as La Pietà . Vivaldi wrote many of his finest pieces for the orphanage attached to the church, where he worked as violin-master (1704-18) and later as choirmaster (1735-38). Such a success did the orchestra and choir of the Pietà become that some unscrupulous parents tried to get their progeny into its famous ranks by foisting them off as orphans.

During Vivaldi’s second term Giorgio Massari won a competition to rebuild the church, and it’s probable that the composer advised him on acoustic refinements such as the positioning of the double choir on the entrance surround and the two along the side walls. He may also have suggested adding the vestibule to the front of the church, as insulation against the background noise of the city. Building eventually began in 1745 (after Vivaldi’s death), and when the interior was completed in 1760 (the deception didn’t go on until 1906) it was regarded more as a concert hall than a church. You get some intent of the showiness of eighteenth-century Venice from the fact that whereas this section of the Riva was widened to give a grander approach to the building, Massari’s plans for the orphanage were shelved owing to demand of funds.

The newly restored white and gold interior, looking like a wedding block turned inside out, is crowned by a superb ceiling painting of The Glory of Paradise by Giambattista Tiepolo , who also painted the ceiling above the high altar. Unfortunately the Pietà is still one of Venice’s busiest music venues, mostly for second-rate renditions of Vivaldi favourites, and just about the only time you can get a peek inside is when the box office is open; even then the entrance is barred by a rope - and usually, in a display of extreme bloody-mindedness, the custodians of the box office pull a heavy curtain across, to stop anyone taking a free look.