The Cannaregio sestiere occupies the north-east "sixth" of the city. It is a very large area which, more than other districts in the city, has maintained its original Venetian population - which only goes to make it all the more lively and interesting. Very much a working-class area in origins, it used to be crammed with the workshops of all the various artisan trades that had strong links with the mainland. With the creation of the Santa Lucia railway station in the nineteenth century, the old urban fabric was torn apart - and a street system created which allowed relatively straightforward link-ups between the station and the commercial centre of the Rialto and the political-adminstrative centre of St. Mark's. This necessarily changed the way of life in the sestiere, which nowadays depends on retailing and the hotel industry, with obvious results. Nevertheless, off the busy main street, there are long parallel canals flanked by wide fondamenta - places where life still carries on regardless and the visitor can find an ideal place for a long stroll. If you think that the beauty of Venice is synonymous with crowds, you won't regret a visit to this area where there's a lot to be learnt about a city that is the victim of commonplaces and mass tourism.
This itinerary starts from the (1) Station of Santa Lucia. Having left behind us the grim facade of the (2)Church of the Scalzi (paintings by Tiepolo), one passes along Lista di Spagna from where one makes one's way through a veritable barricade of tourist stalls to get to the lively Campo di San Geremia, which contains four different wellheads; the campo is flanked by the unfinished (3) Church of San Geremia and by the magnificent (4) Palazzo Labia. From here, instead of passing over the bridge - (5) Ponte delle Guglie - it is worth taking a walk down Fondamenta di San Giobbe, to the church of the same name. Before that, one can visit an example of a successful modern housing project, designed in the early 1980s by Vittorio Gregotti to occupy the old Saffa industrial zone.
After visiting the Renaissance church of San Giobbe, turn back and cross to the other side of the canal by the (8) Bridge of Three Arches (Ponte dei Tre Archi). Following the arrows, one gets to the old (9) Ghetto, passing through the gateway where one can still see the hinges of the gates behind which the Jewish community was shut in at nightfall. If the shops are open, you can still buy traditional Kosher foodstuffs. Leaving the Ghetto by Fondamenta della Misericodia, one enters the very heart of Cannaregio. Along this fondamenta you can find both foreign restaurants and typical Venetian food and wine bars (the so-called bacari). If you come at night, you'll discover that many of them are open late. From here, those with a passionate interest in Venetian history can go right to the end of Fondamenta della Misericordia (on the right) to see one of Jacopo Sansovino's "ageless" buildings, (10) Ca' Moro. The charm of this area will naturally lead you on as far as the Church of Sant'Alvise (fine early works by G.B. Tiepolo) - to reach which you turn left out of Fondamenta della Misericordia down Calle della Malvasia, which takes you to the sunny Fondamenta della Sensa, on the other side of which Calle del Capitello will take you to the Sant'Alvise bridge just in front of the church.
Turning back down Fondamenta della Sensa, a short walk brings you to the charmimng Campo dei Mori, a place where time seems to have stood still. On one side of the small square stand the four strange statues of men in Turkish costume which, according to Venetian tradition represent the three rich Turkish brothers Rioba, Afani and Sandi, plus a mysterious fourth personage located slightly apart. The place inevitably stirs the imagination of whoever passes through it (In fact, Hugo Pratt set a famous episode of the Corto Maltese strip cartoon here). In olden days, the Venetians identified the statue with the iron nose as "Sior Antonio Rioba", who became the spokeman for anonymous political pasquinades directed against the Venetian government.
Beyond the other side of the campo, a bridge leads to the church of (13) Madonna dell'Orto, nearly opposite which stands (14) Palazzo Mastelli, whose facade is decorated with an unusual bas-relief of a camel: legend has it that the owners of the palazzo were at one time the four Turks mentioned above, who made their fortunes thanks to the caravans carrying spices from the East. Note the corner column in the first floor window which comes from an ancient Roman sacrificial altar. If you have energy left, you would be well advised to wander around a bit in an area where you can still find one of the few remaining gondola yards, the house of Jacopo Tintoretto with its charming facade, and Corte del Cavallo, where Alessandro Leopardi cast the equestrian statue of Colleoni modelled by Andra Verrocchio (see, Campo San Zanipolo). Finally, one should also mention the luxuriant gardens of (15) Palazzo Contarini Dal Zaffo, which stretch from the Sacca della Misericordia basin to the Casino degli Spiriti, and were a popular meeting place of the literati and artists of the Venetian Renassiance (the melancholy view they give of the Fondamenta Nuove is ample explanation of the Casino's name). From here you can easily reach (16) Campo dell'Abbazia Vecchia della Misericordia and the imposing, but unfinished, (17) Scuola Nuova della Misericordia, which mark the eastern limit of the Fondamenta of the same name. Turning down the Fondamenta San Felice, you come to the (18) Ponte Chiodo - the one surviving example of how Venetian bridges were before the Austrian edict which ordered them all to be fitted with parapets.
From the (19) Church of San Felice, one can either return to the station, via (20) Rio terˆ San Leonardo, or continue on to the Rialto.
Those who choose the former route will come almost immediately to (21) with its statue of Paolo Sarpi, a priest who was an heroic opponent of the political power of the Church of Rome. Of the nearby Friary of the Servants of Mary to which he belonged all that remains are two Gothic portals and the large (22) Chapel of the Lucchesi or of the Volto Santo. Further on you come to the (23) Church of Santa Maria Maddelena, and soon afterwards the calle which leads to (24) Palazzo Vendramin-Calergi, the winter home of the Venice Casino'.
Before going the whole length of the Rio terˆ di San Leonardo to the (5) Ponte delle Guglie, turn to follow the arrows to the (25) San Marcuola boat stop and visit the church of the same name.
The second route, which ends at the Rialto, can take two different courses - one rather quick, the other winding more slowly through the eastern part of Cannaregio. However, first you have to go along a stretch of Strada Nuova and turn right to the entrance of (27) Ca d'Oro. Go to the nearby vaporetto landing-stage so that you can get a good look at this extraordinary facade and a good view of the Rialto market across the canal. Those who take the short route will then continue the whole length of Strada Nuova to the (28) Church of Santi Apostoli and then to the Ponte Giocattoli (Toy Bridge; its real name is Ponte San Giovanni Crisostomo, but its current name comes from the large toyshop that gives directly onto the bridge itself). The last part of both routes to Rialto follow the same course, so let's go back to Ca' d'Oro to take the longer route.
This takes us away from Strada Nuova, turning left up (30) Calle Priuli into one of those islands of calm that are so common in Cannaregio. Though there are not many streets and alleyways it is still easy to get lost: go right to the end of Calle Priuli, cross the bridge, turn right along the fondamenta and go as far as the Ruga due Pozzi. This comes out on the Fondamenta del Rio di Santa Caterina, on the right of which stands the strange (31) Palazzo Zen; the bizarre mixture of styles here (Moorish, Rennaisance and Byzantine) reveals not only the cosmopoliltain nature of those who commissioned the building but also their love of architecture, their fortune in trade and their illustrious Byzantine parentage. The palazzo stands on the corner of Campo dei Gesuiti, where you should visit the (32) Church of the Gesuiti and the (33) Oratorio dei Crociferi. The other end of the campo gives onto the (34) Fondamenta Nuova, almost directly next to (35) Ponte di Palazzo Donˆ. Here you can take the vaporetti for the islands (36) San Michele in Isola, Murano, Burano, Torcello, Vignole, Sant'Erasmo, San Francesco del Deserto, etc..
The best way back to the centre is down the long (37) Calle del Fumo; if you are here during the summer months, it may be pleasant to take a rest under the shaded tables of one of the "bacari" around Campiello Widman. Continuing on your way, you come to Campo Santa Maria Nova, around which you will find the (39) Church of San Cancian, the Palazzo Bembo-Boldù (with its bizarre statue of a bearded figure representing Time-Saturn) and some fine covered arcades flanking some of the nearby canals. However, for no reason in the world should you neglect to visit the (40) Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli (during the day, glass porch doors make it possible to appreciate the interior even outside normal opening hours). The Salizzada di San Canciano takes you direct to the above-mentioned Ponte dei Giocattoli, from which you can see the Church of San Giovanni Crisostomo (and the (42) Malibran Theatre directly behind it).
Before ending this long tour at the foot of the (43) Rialto Bridge in Campo San Bartolomeo, turn into the courtyard of the (44)Fondaco dei Tedeschiw (now the home of the Central Post Office). If the architecture of the building says nothing to you, it is worth recalling that this was one of the most functional and celebrated buildings in Renaissance Venice; not only was it designed by the famous architect Giorgio Spavento, but it also had facade fresco decorations by Giorgione and the young Titian (the remaining traces of the frescoes are now in the Ca' d'Oro).
