With the world-famous Carnival of Venice in full swing on the eastern side of northern Italy, the capital of the north-west sent off the Games with its own decadent party featuring acrobats, clowns -- and a touch of burlesque.

CNN: 'Magnificent' Games sent off in style

In the first section, history paintings documenting the familiar events of 18th-century Venice, such as masked carnival-goers at the Ridotto, the state-run gambling house, are executed in precise detail, according to the canons of the neoclassical current of the day, with none of the fanciful splashes of color in the artist's later work.

WSJ: Appreciating Francesco Guardi's Changing Genres/ A Guardi Retropsective at Museo Correr in Venice

The second will focus on the diversity of the national, and in particular the Venetian, intangible cultural heritage (such as traditional boats, Venice Carnival, Murano glass- making and Burano lace to the legacy of fine Venetian fabrics and textiles).

UNESCO: Intangible Cultural Heritage, A Living Legacy To Safeguard | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization