Corte Veniera, Castello near San Zanipolo

When I was last in Venice, I was trying to document all the places where I walked with as many photos as possible, including of the related nizioletti - so called 'little sheets' of white labels painted with street names and framed by a thick black border.

On my first morning, I walked from my accommodation at Alloggi Barbaria (you can read Fausto's terrific blog here) to nearby Campo San Zanipolo to the Rosa Salva bar for a warm pastry and excellent coffee and then explored the Corte Veniera nearby.  

Entry to Corte Veniera, Castello

Here's a glimpse of the Corte Veniera - it ends in a canal and has its own covered well-head.  

Corte Veniera, Castello

Corte Veniera, Castello

Calle del Verrocchio, Castello

I can't resist Verrocchio's statue of condottiere Bartolomeo Colleoni (you can read more about this mercenary and his statue here).  I always enjoy looking up the horse, and enjoying the colours of the marble plinth.

Verrocchio's statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni, outside SS Giovanni e Paolo

I really like trying to see as much of the detail of the horse as I can, from my vantage point at ground level (and I'm not very tall, so I'm sadly quite close to ground level!).

Verrocchio's statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni, outside SS Giovanni e Paolo

I took a peek at the nearby Calle del Verrocchio to see what there was to see...

Street sign for Calle del Verrocchio

It was quite residential and quiet...

Looking down Calle del Verrocchio, Castello

I turned my back on the calle, and headed back to toward the campo and looked up to this fantastic view of Colleoni's statue.

Calle del Verrocchio, Castello

Calle del Paradiso, Castello

One morning, after downing a delicious coffee and warm, sweet pastry at Rosa Salva (ok, so maybe it was two of each), we headed off into the streets of Venice for another day of walking and looking.  

We walked across the Ponte dei Preti off the Campo Santa Maria Formosa and looked up to find this arch – the Arco del Paradiso.

Nizioletto - Ponte dei Preti near Campo Santa Maria Formosa

Arco del Paradiso, Castello, Venice (from the Ponte dei Preti)

 The arch dates from the early 15^th century and commemorates the marriage between a Foscari and a Mocenigo, and bears both family’s arms as well as a relief of the Madonna della Misericordia.  Twenty-six houses in this calle – the Calle del Paradiso – formed part of the marriage settlement.  

The calle itself is one of the best preserved medieval streets in Venice.

The Arco del Paradiso in the Calle del Paradiso

The narrow, short street comprises two parallel blocks, joined at the east end by the Arco del Paradiso.  

The ground floor was intended for shops and workshops, with a single storey of accommodation above, supported by barbacani.

The Calle del Paradiso, Castello

Here's a closer look at the barbacani:

Detail of the barbacani - supporting structures in the Calle del Paradiso

And another view of the barbacani and the street signs:

Street signs in the Calle del Paradiso, Castello

According to Richard Goy’s trusty Venice. An Architectural Guide, the section toward the bridge contains some 13^th century material as well as later medieval parts, whilst the section of the street toward the Salizzada San Lio is largely 16^th century.

Toward the Salizzada San Lio end of the street is one of Venice’s many fine bookshops.  This one, Editrice Filippi, specializes in hard-to-find Venice titles in Italian and other languages.  I’ve spent many happy hours examining its shop windows and deciding what other piece of clothing I can jettison in favour of another tome. 

Shop window of Editrice Filippi, Calle del Paradiso, Castello

On my last visit to Venice, we travelled to eight cities in three weeks, each of us carrying one small cabin bag on wheels.  I regretfully decided there was no way I could fit Alvise Zorzi’s comprehensive, gorgeously illustrated Venezia Scomparsa in my small bag, nor nonchalantly waltz through check-in with such a heavy book in my luggage. 

Luckily, the bookshop kindly posted it to me.

Sotoportego de la Corte Nova, Castello

What I love about walking around Venice, is that you just never know what you’re going to stumble upon next.

One morning, walking from near Campo San Zanipolo towards the Arsenale, we wandered down a narrow alley.  

I was taken by the nizioletto on the wall: ‘Calle Zorzi’, and was wondering if the name of the alley has anything to do with the family of Venetian historian and author, Alvise Zorzi.

Nizioletto marking the Calle Zorzi, Castello

Distracted, I almost tripped when I saw this plaque above the sotoportego that we were approaching:

Approaching the Sotoportego de la Corte Nova, Castello

We stopped to decipher the message inside the lunette:

Sotoportego de la Corte Nova, Castello 

I remembered reading about this site in Thomas Jonglez and Paola Zoffoli’s fantastic guide, Secret Venice.

During the plague of 1630 (which killed over 50,000 Venetians), a local girl, Giovanna, urged her neighbours to keep their faith.  She drew a picture of the Virgin together with San Rocco (patron saint of the plague), Santo Sebastiano and San Lorenzo (protectors against epidemics), placed it in this sotoportego and encouraged her neighbours to gather each day for prayer.  The inhabitants of the courtyard were spared.

Here’s a closer look inside the chapel:

Sotoportego de la Corte Nova, Castello 

A slab of red marble from Verona was installed in the floor of the chapel to commemorate the miracle.

Look at the handsome carved ceiling:

Sotoportego de la Corte Nova, Castello

Apparently, during WWI, the residents of the courtyard again invoked the intercession of the Virgin to spare them from enemy bombing.

I felt like I’d taken a step back in time for a few moments as I stood inside the chapel, thinking of the people who had prayed for their very lives in this spot and lived through terror: from the plague in the 17^th century to hellishness of war in modern times.

It was a moving and slightly eerie experience.  

 

We stepped back into the sunshine and stopped to admire its opposite entry:

Sotoportego de la Corte Nova, Castello 

And then, we turned, back to the present-day to continue on our way through the ordinary, every-day streets of Venice.

Back into the streets of Venice...

Looking around Campo San Zanipolo

When I first lived in Venice as student, I remember crossing the city from Dorsoduro to reach the Fondamente Nuove for day-trips to explore the islands: the cemetery island of San Michele, the glass island of Murano, the first island of Torcello, the picturesque island of Burano, the fascinating island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni.  

To reach the Fondamente Nuove, I'd always walk through Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo - which was always known to me in the dialect form of Campo San Zanipolo.  In my head, it's still 'San Zanipolo', no matter what the 'nizioletto' indicates!

My memory of San Zanipolo is of an area filled with funeral homes, and the walk to the vaporetto stop at Fondamente Nuove was filled with the businesses of funerary stonemasons.  I remember the tomb stones and statues all lined up for display outside their shops.

No more.  

I don't recall having seen a single stonemason's shop on my most recent visit (and I looked!), although the 'nizioletto' in the square is placed above a funeral home, as you see from the photo.

This is a gorgeous campo - filled with small bars (including my favourite breakfast stop, Rosa Salva), a bookshop, and dominated by the huge Gothic structure of San Zanipolo which houses 25 of Venice's doges.

I love that magnificent statue of the condottiere, Bartolomeo Colleoni by Verocchio which stands outside the elegant facade of the Scuola di San Marco, now Venice's hospital.

Nearby is a lovely well-head, decorated with putti.

Campiello de Barbaria, Castello

During our last visit, I wanted to stay somewhere small, somewhere locally owned, somewhere comfortable, somewhere quiet and somewhere convenient. 

 

We picked Castello's Alloggi Barbaria, mostly because I've had so much fun and learned so much about Venice by following Fausto's brilliant blog (you can read it here). 

 

We were delighted to be staying there - and this is a great opportunity to publicly acknowledge Fausto and his team's warm hospitality, their love for their city and professionalism.  Thanks for having us, Fausto and team.  We loved staying with you.

 

Every morning, I'd be up with the sparrows, and wild to be out exploring the city. 

 

I'd throw open the shutters and listen to the distant church bells, before an uncharacteristically speedy shower and a bolted-down breakfast.  

Then, I'd drag my husband purposefully from Alloggi Barbaria down the Calle del Capucine, into the nearby Campiello Barbaria.  Here's what the Campiello looks like early in the morning:

Campiello de Barbaria, Castello, Venice

And this is what it looks like facing the opposite direction:

 

Campiello de Barbaria, Castello, Venice

 

Campiello de Barbaria, Castello 

We'd take a left out of the campiello into Calle Cafetier, follow it on to Calle Barbaria de le Tole (so called because the alley used to filled with warehouses where planks of wood or 'tole' were stored). 

 We'd pass the ornate Ospadaletto (with its baroque facade by Longhena) as we walked toward Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo (I prefer its shorter local name of Campo San Zanipolo).  I always liked being out and about early so I could stop to enjoy the Ospadeletto.

It's in a long, narrow alley and it's hard to photograph the building in its entirety, or to stand back and admire it once the rest of the city is up and about.

 

 

And here are two details of the facade:

 

And then we'd stop for a second breakfast of coffee and a warm pastry at Rosa Salva (just because we could!) before starting our day in earnest...

Still standing on the Ponte dei Conzafelzi

As I stood on the Ponte dei Conzafelzi (see my previous post here), I remembered reading Paolo Barbaro's advice about seeing Venice in Venice Revealed:

"...the most important skill of all is that of standing still.  You have to be still in order to see - to be able to see and thus to participate, understand, absorb and retell the city's tales".

And so I did.  

I enjoyed the site of Palazzo Tetta, which stands at the junction of Rio di San Giovanni Laterano and Rio de la Tetta.  

Standing on Ponte dei Conzafelzi looking at Palazzo Tetta

I looked down at the railing of the iron bridge, noticing the foundry's name stamped in bold letters:

The Ponte Conzfelzi was cast by Fonderia Collalto in the late 19th century

I looked up to take in the name of the bridge and the nearby fondamenta, labelled on Venice's characteristic nizioletti:

I looked the detail of the iron bridge, including this handsome lion head:

And I simply enjoyed the sheer crazy, wonderful pleasure of actually being back in Venice again and enjoying the sunny morning.  

Looking at these photos today brings back that sense of pleasure and love I feel for Venice.  

Buon weekend!