itinerario: Campo Sant' Aponal, Church of San Giovanni Elemosinario, Campo della Pescaria, Church of San Giacometo, Banco Giro, Gobbo di Rialto, Campo dell'Erberia

Combining history with gastronomy and entertainment, this itinerary takes us to Rialto, one of
the first islands to be settled in Venice. Before acquiring its more famous name Venice was
known as Rivoalto - or high bank after this quarter on the left-hand bank of the Canal Grande; it
was originally joined to the opposite bank by a pontoon bridge, later replaced by a wooden bridge
itself replaced by the Rialto Bridge, the lovely single-arched stone structure designed by Antonio
Da Ponte in the late 16th century. There are two public transport stops in the vicinity: Rialto
Mercato and San Silvestro. Our itinerary starts at the San Silvestro stop.

[ 1 ]
Take the No. 1 vaporetto (wheelchair accessible) from the Piazzale Roma (bus terminus) or Ferrovia
(railway station) stops and get off at San Silvestro.

[ 2 ]
Go through the Sottoportico de la Pasina then continue to Campo Sant'Aponal, a bustling
square on the Rialto-San Polo route. It is overlooked by the campanile and simple brick Gothic
façade of the church which now houses the municipal archives.
From here you can continue along Ruga Rialto (the Venetian term "ruga" derives from the word
"rua" and means long shop-lined road or calle), but we advise you to follow our itinerary and
head back towards the Canal Grande and the picturesque Riva del Vin. Turn into Calle del Luganegher
and continue as far as Campo San Silvestro with the eponymous church (the entrance
has five steps) followed by Rio Terà San Silvestro. When you get back to the canal bank you will
see on the opposite side the magnificent Gothic-Renaissance façades of Ca' Farsetti and Ca' Loredan,
now Venice's town hall. The Fondamenta del Vin conserves traces of the former "case fondaco",
warehouses cum homes dating to the Byzantine period that lined this bank.

[ 3 ]
Continuing towards the Rialto Bridge turn into Calle de la Madonna, where you will see a white
limestone "barbacane" jutting out from the wall and bearing the inscription "PER LA IVRIDICIOM
DI BARBACANI". In Venice "barbacani" are wooden or stone brackets supporting an overhanging
first floor. For health and safety reasons the Republic of Venice laid down a limit for
such overhangs, placing this sample limestone bracket here by way of example.
 
[ 4 ]
At the end of the calle you enter the final stretch of the Ruga Rialto known as Ruga Vecchia San
Giovanni. To the right are a wrought iron gate and a 14th century campanile belonging to the
Church of San Giovanni Elemosinario, an unusual building on a Greek-cross plan founded before
1071. Rebuilt by Scarpagnino following the disastrous 1514 fire, the church contains several
Renaissance masterpieces including a fine altarpiece by Titian of St John the Almsgiver, the church's
titular saint, and a work by Pordenone in the cupola. There are three steps at the entrance.

[ 5 ]
Turning left into Ruga dei Spezieri, the street of the spice-sellers, you reach Campo delle Beccarie,
where you will find a busy market in the mornings. The eponymous calle leads to Campo
della Pescaria and Campo Bella Vienna, the fish and fruit and flower markets, respectively.
Crossing through the Fabbriche Nuove on your left you will reach the Rialto Mercato landing
stage.

[ 6 ]
After going through the sottoportego of the Fabbriche Vecchie, seat of the Venetian magistrate's
court, you enter Campo San Giacomo di Rialto with the Church of San Giacometo, traditionally
held to be the oldest church in Venice (11th-12th centuries), thanks to its escape from
the 1514 fire. The lovely façade is dominated by a huge clock (1410) above a small wood and stone
Gothic porch, the only original example to survive in Venice. Both main and side entrances
have five steps.
The campo is overlooked by the long arcade known as Banco Giro, originally a credit bank
where merchants used to meet to carry out their negotiations.
On the other side of the square is the Colonna del Bando, known as the Gobbo di Rialto after the
hunchback figure bearing a huge porphry slab on his back; it was formerly used as a podium by the
officials of the Serenissima who would read out official proclamations or the names of offenders.

[ 7 ]
If you go through the Banco Giro arcade, behind the Fabbriche Vecchie, you will reach the Campo
dell'Erberia overlooking the Canal Grande, one of Venice's loveliest corners.
The perfect place to stop and enjoy the delicious cicchetti on offer in the local bacari - Venice's typical
wine bars - and sip a glass of wine while admiring the splendid palazzi lining the volta de canal,
or more prosaically, the bend, of the most beautiful waterway in the world.

[ 8 ]
After returning to Campo San Giacometo enter Ruga degli Orefici, which takes its names from
the goldsmiths and silversmiths that once clustered here. To the left of Rialto Bridge stands the
Renaissance Palazzo dei Camerlenghi, regional headquarters of the Court of Audit, and to the
right, the 16th century Palazzo dei dieci Savi, headquarters of the Magistrato alle Acque e del
Genio Civile (the Venetian Civil Engineering and Water Authority).

For further information on: www.chorusvenezia.org