to discover
art and crafts
in Venezia
between Santi Apostoli and Rialto
The route starts at Campo Santi Apostoli and meanders through famous areas like Campo San Giovanni e Paolo, to Rialto, the end point, revealing unusual corners and folkloric place names drenched in history and legends, such as the bridge known locally as the toy bridge (“Ponte dei Giocattoli”, though its real name is Ponte di San Giovanni Grisostomo), Barbaria de le Tole, Ruga Giuffa and Campo de la Fava.
As we wander the streets, we meet modern representatives of ancient crafts, from Venice’s last knife grinder Barisoni, to book binders and ancient book artisans DeGrandis and Scriba, to the chocolate shop Vizio Virtù, from the artistic blacksmith Bollani, to the jeweller Costantini, to original paintings by Itaca Art Studio.
■ mb, 2015-02-16