CASTELLO: This district or 'sestiere' of Venice is to the east of the lagoon, its boundary divided by Cannaregio and San Marco, notably the bridge of sighs. There are six sestiere in Venice and I have explored all six using a method of walking, looking and a form of photographic surveying with a number of ideas in mind. Firstly, how does landscape behave in Venice? Its a water city, built on a marsh landscape but it includes gardens, allotments, and green terraces.. Could local landscapes have influences the way in which Bellini describes landscapes in the St Francis painting? Certainly Venice's landscapes have changed since the Renaissance, but can we find any visual continuities today? Secondly, what kind of plants grow in Venice and can we find evidence of these plant details in the St Francis painting? Thirdly, how are people interacting with landscape space and can this help us understand the extent to which Bellini's representation of landscape and specific plant forms in the painting is accurate and specific to Venice. 

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