One of my finest memories while in Venice this year (March), a time when the tourist crowd is noticeably thin, was my hours-long visit to the Guggenheim Museum. The website will give you all the pertinent details of what's on the walls, so let me add my observations and experience: located in Dorsoduro (a quiet neighborhood in Venice), the Guggenheim is a place where you can experience looking at art in a very intimate environment. There is a marvelous indoor cafe, an outdoor garden area and an open area with views of the Grand Canal. The staff was English-speaking and extremely helpful. This is a museum that is not to be missed.

We visited Venice last month and thought the modern art at the Guggenheim would be an interesting diversion. I also thought it would be a good opportunity to see inside a Palazzo on the Grand Canal. While there were some very worthwhile works of art (my personal favorites -- Dali, Picasso and a Modigliani), it was surprisingly small, very crowded and too expensive. The Palazzo itself was apparently never really completed, so it is only one story high and inexplicably modern looking. For me the interior sculpture garden was the most pleasant part. There were a number of young, mostly American, art students interning there giving talks on the art and on Peggy's life. It must be a fabulous experience for them and they were very enthusiastic but honestly I must say that they seemed to need a little more professional supervision and guidance. All in all, if you only have a few days in Venice and modern art is not your passion, I'd pass on this museum.

We were in Italy for over 2 weeks. Wanting a break from all the Renaissance art, we decided the Guggenheim would be a nice change, however, I would have rather spent my time and money elsewhere in Venice. Don't get me wrong - the museum houses many fine pieces, including a Picaso, but it is small and the entry price is too high. Information on the founding of this museum is included in John Berendt's book, "City of the Falling Angels," and I recommend reading it before you patronize this place. IHad I read it first I may have avoided a waste of my time.

I found this to be a really enjoyable wee museum/collection - it is just the right size, with a very good range of artwork - both paintings and sculpture - without it being overwhelming. The setting is also lovely, right on the banks of the Grand Canal. The layout of the gallery makes the whole collection accessible altho' it was quite busy the day we visited, with hordes of art students on field trips thinking they owned the place! Well worth a visit, the whole collection can be covered easily without having to give up loads of time. Given that Venice itself is a work of art this sits very well in demanding a little of your time!