Dr. Richard Campanaro '95: A Last Look at Venice

On the train to Venice, Dr. Richard Campanaro '95 moves easily along the aisle, checking on students, answering stray questions, and corralling luggage with the calm demeanor of someone who’s done this before. He has, in fact, done it eleven times before. This twelfth trip marks not just another year of sightseeing and art history, but the end of a long chapter: Campanaro will depart LAS at the end of the school year and return home to Prince Edward Island, Canada.

When the train pulls into Venice's Santa Lucia station, he’s immediately in his element, leading students and staff through the bustle toward the water taxis like a mother duck. Even after a long travel day, his enthusiasm for Venice is as bright as ever.

His meticulous planning and attention to detail are part of what make these trips so special.

“I’m a little obsessive,” he admits. “Most tourists go to a city and they eat well, they shop, and they see a few sights. Whereas I think it's important to introduce students to the narratives of the city and the depth of its history. They have a much better understanding of the deep historical and artistic context of this fabulous place.”

His obsession shows up in every detail of the itinerary. Each day is a carefully balanced mix of structure and surprise. But he’s realistic about what his students absorb in the moment. “Most students will never really appreciate the trip while they’re on it,” Dr. Campanaro said.

One morning is spent exploring Doge’s Palace. An evening later in the week is closed with a concert of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in a small church next door to the hotel. The visit to the Venice Biennale of Architecture begins not at the entrance, but at the far end of the exhibition hall, easily a kilometer in length, where Dr. Campanaro points out the shipyard that once powered the Venetian empire. Only then does he lead students back to the start, offering them a visceral sense of scale before they even step inside.

Students notice and appreciate that attention to detail. “All of the time we spent in those art galleries,” says Sara ’26, “Dr. Camp’s being so patient with us and answering all of our questions. In the Guggenheim, he was explaining abstract works, or in the Accademia, he was helping us if there was a biblical reference we didn't get.”

Sara pauses before adding: “What really struck me was how much passion Dr. Camp has for Venice. This is the point of going on a cultural trip. Having your teacher share how they view the city with you.”

Dr. Campanaro plans those moments deliberately, a mix of high art and quiet vantage points intended to change how students see the city. 

“I like mixing recent history with the very old. I try to get them out to the Island of Saint Giorgio Maggiore so they can look at St. Mark’s Square, so they are not always in St. Mark’s looking out,” Dr. Campanaro said.

The trip is full of details that pull students into the city’s rhythms.

On the last day of the trip, a small gesture stood out to Sara. “We were doing the tour of the two churches and a confraternity. In the middle of the tour, Dr. Camp shared a batch of local pastries with us from one of the only stores left in Venice making the delicacies. That's when I understood: Dr. Camp knows this place. There's a reason he keeps on returning and we're starting to share that love for Venice as well.” 

These moments reflect the care Dr. Campanaro takes, both as a teacher and a traveler.

Reflecting on his personal routines in the city, Dr. Campanaro said, “I always make sure that I have time to enjoy the city on my own, so I have time to go to my favorite haunts. Students have free time to enjoy it on their terms, and I have free time to enjoy it on my terms, with the ability to discover new things. The next year I might incorporate these new things into the curriculum.”

His teaching, whether in the alleys of Venice or in the classroom in Leysin, is soaked with curiosity. Dr. Campanaro often uses humor to engage students.  “As a former history teacher, I’ve learned people pay attention to sex and violence. So highlighting these stories, even if they are a little bit apocryphal, tends to make students pay attention to what they're looking at.”

“These trips are an extension of the classroom,” Dr. Campanaro said, “There are examples of history, art, human sciences, math, and natural sciences. You can find examples for any lesson that you want to teach in Venice.”

For many students, Dr. Campanaro’s approach has shaped not only how they study, but also how they approach the world.

“There are two things, one very tangible, one intangible,” says Dominik ’26, when asked what he has learned from Dr. Campanaro. “The intangible one is enthusiasm. I want to bring enthusiasm into anything I do, even if I don’t want to do it. As he showed me, if you show enthusiasm, then things will be much more bearable academically and socially as well.”

Dominik adds: “A tangible thing that I will definitely carry on, is the ability to synthesize different perspectives and focus on balancing out your arguments, showing that you’re not set on one way of thinking, but you’re open for consideration of other points of view.”

As the trip winds down, Dr. Campanaro’s legacy feels palpable.

“Leaving the school, it's so bittersweet, because Dr. Camp has been there always in my memory of LAS,” says Sara. “I'm happy that I'm a senior and leaving as well. I don't think my educational experience would have been the same without him.”

Dominik shares a similar feeling: “It feels like all of us are graduating. It’s nice. Not many people can graduate with their teachers.” He pauses, then adds: “He has been the best teacher I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a lot of teachers. But he is the best teacher that I have ever had.”