Tired of the usual tourist itineraries? Would you like to live a unique experience in Venice, discovering secret corners and hidden treasures? Then this is the itinerary for you! Immerse yourself in an adventure to discover 20 unusual attractions, far from the crowds and the beaten tourist tracks recommended by Hinc Domus. Let yourself be guided by your desire for discovery and get ready to experience the magic of an authentic and unknown Venice.
The largest painting
The bare, unfinished façade of the church of San Pantalon gives no indication that the largest canvas painting in the world is hidden inside. On the ceiling of the church, which is dedicated to the patron saint of doctors and midwives, what looks like a fresco is actually a gigantic oil painting on canvas, as can be seen from the fact that parts of it protrude from the walls. It consists of no less than 40 contiguous canvases covering 443 square metres, depicting the martyrdom and glorification of Saint Pantaleon in the year 305.
The demolished bell tower
Over the centuries, many bell towers have collapsed in Venice. When the instability was recognised in advance, one of the solutions was to reduce the height. The bell tower of the former church of Santa Margherita, protector of working women and abolished by the Napoleonic reforms, was cut down in 1808 because it was considered unstable.
The half-well
At the end of Calle dell'Aseo, where it widens, leaning against a wall is a half-well, which is very unusual for Venice. At one time in Venice, fresh water could only be rainwater. Wells were in the middle of squares and courtyards (campi e corti in Venetian) because these acted as large funnels for collecting rainwater. A thick layer of sand was placed under these campi and corti to filter the water. Underneath the sand was a layer of impermeable clay so that the fresh water would not mix with the salt water from the streams. There is no doubt, therefore, that this well was once in the middle of his court. For some reason, now mysterious, the courtyard was then divided by a wall built right over the well, effectively cutting it in half. Half still in view of passers-by and half inside the private courtyard.
Where: Sestiere di Dorsoduro (to the left of 3367), at the end of Calle dell'Aseo coming from Calle del Magazen from Campo Santa Margherita.
El frutarol de San Barnaba
It is called 'La Barca San Barnaba' and is a floating fruit and vegetable shop near the Church of San Barnaba. In the multicoloured boat is the vegetable and in a small room opposite is the fruit. This business was started back in 1947 by the Tiozzo family and is certainly the most photographed frutarol in Venice!
Open: Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The witch's alarm clock
Impossible to notice that 7 m high on the wall of an ordinary house, an alarm clock hangs, intended to calm the spirit of a witch who dabbled in black magic. The story goes that after the witch's death, the house was closed for years because no one wanted to live there because of the constant strange noises. One day, almost as a joke, a barber who had his shop in that very street asked some workers who were working there to hang up his old alarm clock, thinking it could help the witch to establish the time of her spells in the afterlife. The phenomena immediately disappeared. Some time passed and the purpose forgotten, the alarm clock was removed. Disturbing phenomena began to appear again: noises, visions, disappearances of objects and minor accidents. The remedy was remembered: a new alarm clock was relocated and everything became peaceful again. Again, a few years later, the alarm clock was removed, this time for restoration work, and immediately the phenomena reoccurred. Since then, an alarm clock has always been present. The current one is even protected by a transparent case so that it does not get damaged and fall, thus exposing the house to new spells.
Where: Sestiere di Dorsoduro, 1195, Calle de la Toletta, opposite the Giustina Renier Michiele primary school, a side street of Calle di Ponte de le Maravegie.
The oldest bridge
According to the Chronicon Altinate (13th century) the birth of Venice took place on 25 March 421 at Riva Alta (Rialto). Therefore it is correct to start looking for the oldest bridge in that area. Some sources cite the Rialto Bridge (built from 1588 to 1591) as indisputably the oldest on the Grand Canal. But is it so compared to all the others? Some of those who say not, agree on a private bridge, also in the Rialto area, that crosses the Rio de le Becarie. This is the Ponte delle Poste Vecie, which today connects the fondamenta behind the Rialto Market to the Antica Trattoria Poste Vecie. The characteristics are there: small and consequently very arched so as not to obstruct boats, simple and unadorned as befits an ancient bridge. It is described by all as a wooden bridge, blackened by much weathering, and this too befits an ancient bridge.
Where: Sestiere di San Polo 344, from Fondamenta delle Prigioni to the Antica Trattoria Poste Vecie.
Clocks in Venice have 24 hours
If you look at the clock tower, the façade of the church of San Giacometto a Rialto or the clock inside the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, you will realise that the dial is not divided into 12 hours, but into 24! The reason is simple, at the end of the 14th century the sundials were replaced by the first clocks, which initially kept the same conformation. In time, it was realised that it became difficult to count each chime, so the dial was modified as we know it today.
Where: Church of San Giacometto at the foot of the Rialto Bridge.
We are just over 100 m as the crow flies from Riva del Vin. The door of this old warehouse is really quite unique and quite functional: the base of the uprights is shaped so that small barrels can pass through.
Where: Sestiere di San Polo, 456 Calle de l'Arco.
The lamp of Marforio
In Campo San Salvador, it is impossible not to notice the large wrought iron winged dragon holding a lamp. What one does not notice is that the iron and coloured glass lamp represents three open umbrellas. This was in fact the distinctive and unique sign of the famous 'Bartolameo Marforio Umbrella Factory', run since its inception in 1875 by the same family through five generations and unfortunately closed a few years ago. Since its opening, to say Marforio in Venice meant umbrellas of quality.
Where: Sestiere di San Marco (opposite 5058) in Campo San Salvador, on the corner of Marzaria San Salvador and Merceria II Aprile.
The embedded cannonball
On the left side of the façade of the Church of San Salvador, at the base of the first column, a cannonball is embedded. On 6th August 1849, the bullet lodged in the spot where it can still be seen today, without causing any further damage to the structure.
Where: Sestiere di San Marco, to the left of the entrance to the Church of San Salvador in Campo San Salvador.
The foot of the Tetrarch
Anyone who has been to St Mark's Square will have noticed next to the Basilica the statues of the four Tetrarchs, i.e. the commanders of the Eastern and Western Roman empires, the two Augusti (Diocletian and Maximian) and the two Caesars (Galerius and Constantius Chlorus). They are carved in the very hard and valuable Turkish red porphyry, but some may have noticed that one foot is made of white Istrian stone. When they were stolen in 1204 from Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), one foot broke off and was reconstructed in Venice. What is more incredible and less well known is that in the 1965 excavations in Istanbul near the Myrelaion (today's Bodrum mosque), after 761 years the missing foot was found and is kept in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
Where: Sestiere di San Marco, in Piazzetta San Marco between the Basilica and the Porta della Carta of the Doge's Palace.
The smallest church
The Church of St. Gallen is the smallest church in the city. According to the provisions of the procurators, it could not exceed nine paces in width and twenty in length. It was erected in 1581 and said to have been enlarged in 1703. But how small was it at the beginning?
Where: Sestiere di San Marco, 1097, in Campo Busolo or San Gallo from Sotoportego del Cavalletto or Calle San Gallo.
Arco, Ponte and Calle del Paradiso
The bridge and the calle are particularly notable for the Gothic cuspidate arch, placed between two houses adjacent to the bridge. It is a 15th-century marble work depicting the Madonna, which in the past had on its sides the coats of arms of the Foscari and Mocenigo families, now no longer present.
The palace surrounded by water
Few Venetian buildings are surrounded by water on three sides. In front of Palazzo Tetta, the Rio de Santa Marina forks to form the Rio de San Giovanni Laterano on the left and the Rio de la Tetta on the right. This feature, clearly visible from the Conzafelzi Bridge, makes this one of the most curious and photographed houses in Venice. Its inhabitants only have access to it via a small private fondamenta that starts directly from Ponte Tetta.
Where: Sestiere di Castello, visible from Ponte dei Conzafelzi that connects Calle Vesier to Calle Bragadin or Pinelli.
The blue doorIn a side street of Ruga Giuffa, which seems to have no exit, is one of the most photographed doors in Venice. It is not the entrance to a famous palace, nor does it have any special features compared to other doors. But the spot where it stands (at the end of a straight, high, long and narrow calle), the Gothic shape (also echoed in the window above) and, above all, the peculiar blue colour (beautifully discoloured by use and time), make it particularly fascinating.
Where: Sestiere di Castello, Calle de Mezo, a side street of Ruga Giuffa.
The palace with rabbits
Today as then, embellishing one's palace, making it unique and different from others continues to be important for Venetian owners. This palazzo in 2013 had a simple flowered balcony like so many others. In 2018 it can be seen adorned with 6 rabbits (4 above and 2 below on either side). In the collective imagination the rabbit is synonymous with reproduction and here it seems that this also applies to the stone ones since today on the balcony, there are 8 rabbits. Excellent idea, beautiful scenic effect, certainly one more reason to immortalise this beautiful building with its façade on the water.
Where: Sestiere di Castello (to the left of 4879A), visible from Fondamenta San Severo at Ponte Novo.
A heart of red stone
Legend has it that a fisherman named Orio lived here. One day, while fishing, he heard a cry for help coming from the sea. A beautiful mermaid named Melusina had become entangled in his nets. The two fell in love, but Melusina had a curse: every Saturday she turned into a snake. After her death, Orio found the house always in order, until he killed a snake that was actually Melusina. In memory of this tragic love, a red stone heart was placed where their house stood.
Where: Sestiere di Castello (to the right of 3593), on the inner arch of Sotoportego dei Preti from Salizada del Pignater.
The painted clock The façade of the Church of San Francesco di Paola features a curious clock that always tells the same time. It is not, however, a real clock that does not work. It has been deliberately painted to fix that time forever. The fake clock marks 9.30 a.m., the time at which, according to tradition, the saint died on 2 April 1507 (a Good Friday) at the age of 91.
Where: Sestiere di Castello, on the façade of the Church of San Francesco di Paola in Via Giuseppe Garibaldi.
The lowest sottoportego in Venice at Castello in Campo Ruga
Called 'Zurlin', it leads into a small courtyard and, if you are over five feet tall, you will have to lower your head to pass under it. This place, besides being legendary because of its size and because it leads to a very suggestive courtyard, is also legendary because, according to the oral tradition of the city, it is the protagonist of a mystery linked to a ghost sighted right here.
Where: Sestiere di Castello, Campo Ruga.
The bridge without banks: The Chiodo bridge
At one time, the bridges in Venice, especially the smaller ones, were without banks, to facilitate the transport of goods and bulky objects until the safety of passers-by was prioritised. Gradually all the bridges in the Lagoon were equipped with parapets, except for two. One of these is the Devil's Bridge on the island of Torcello, the other is the one discussed in this article. Ponte Chiodo owes its name to the noble family of the same name that owned it. In fact, it was not a public bridge, but led to private dwellings and because it was private, it did not have to have parapets. Today, after the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs, it is the third most photographed bridge in Venice. There is always a queue to take a photo on this bridge without banks. And to think that once upon a time it was the exact opposite, so much so that the Ponte de le Bande, which still exists today, to differentiate it from the others, was named so precisely because it had banks (called 'bande' in Venice).
Where: Sestiere di Cannaregio, at the junction between Fondamenta della Misericordia and Fondamenta San Felice.
Venice is therefore much more than you might imagine at first glance. And we, here at Hinc Domus, can't wait to reveal all its secrets to you. We are ready to guide you through authentic itineraries and hidden gems that will make your trip unforgettable.
Book your stay at Hinc Domus now and get ready for a hunt for Venice's hidden treasures!
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