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| Photo by Freeimages.com/Constantin Hudici |
by The Daily Telegraph, February 23, 2016
The best shops in Venice for Venetian masks, designer labels, coffee and glass-making. By Anne Hanley, Telegraph Travel's Venice expert.
£££ Arnoldo & Battois (1)
Venetian designers born and bred, Silvano Arnoldo and Massimiliano Battois began by specialising in accessories - specifically leather handbags, which are made by artisans in the Veneto and presented on the catwalks of Milan each season. More recently, in their own-brand boutique just off Campo San Luca, the duo have also begun to offer a capsule womenswear line with a flowing, destructured feel. But it's still the capacious handbags that do it for me. Contemporary variations on early 20th-century travelling bags in a range of very Venetian hues, they look like what Mary Poppins might carry on her arm if she were reborn as a third-millennium fashionista. Prices start in the €180 range, but the January and July sales offer substantial discounts.
Contemporary variations on early 20th-century travelling bags in a range of very Venetian hues
Address: San Marco 4271, Calle dei Fuseri, 30124
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Rialto
Contact: 00 39 348 312 2559; arnoldoebattois.com
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm, 3.30pm-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Chiarastella Cattana (2)
In Salizada San Samuele, Venice's scaled-down equivalent of New Bond Street, the creations of textile designer Chiarastella Cattana stand out for sheer style and only-in-Venice exclusivity. Cattana specialises in cotton and linen mix jacquard fabrics, made up to her designs on an outsize three-metre handloom. Vines and other natural motifs appear both in small, antique-style repeat patterns like Costanza, or in more jazzy mixes (and hues) such as early-70s homage tb88. You can order them by the metre for home furnishing projects, but these and other motifs are also made up into tablecloths, bed linens, cushions, towels and kimonos. Her animal cushions - featuring colourful elephant, hare and rhino silhouettes – will add a touch of class to any bambino's bedroom.
In Salizada San Samuele the creations of textile designer Chiarastella Cattana stand out for sheer style and only-in-Venice exclusivity
Address: San Marco 3357, Salizzada San Samuele, 30124
Getting there: Vaporetto stop San Samuele
Contact: 00 39 041 522 4369; chiarastellacattana.it
Opening times: Mon-Fri, 10.30am-7pm; Sat, 2.30pm-6.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Emilia (3)
If you associate lace with yellowed family heirlooms, update your image bank by heading for this three-floor upscale boutique on the island of Burano - famous for its lacemakers – where a traditional family firm has been turned around by third-generation designer Lorenzo Ammendola. Table and bed linens, lampshades, nighties and other items with handmade Burano lace trims and insets are given a modern twist without making them any less stylish. There's also a small museum of antique lace, reached via stairs adorned with photos of Johnny Depp, Julia Roberts and other celebs who have paid a visit.
Table and bed linens, lampshades, nighties and other items with handmade Burano lace trims and insets are given a modern twist without making them any less stylish
Address: Piazza Galuppi 205, 30142 Burano
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Burano
Contact: 00 39 041 735 299; emiliaburano.it
Opening times: Apr-Oct: daily, 9.30am-7pm. Nov-Mar: daily, 9.30am-6pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Gianni Basso (4)
What would I do without Gianni Basso? For over 20 years, this Gutenberg of Venice has kept me in visiting cards. Signor Basso is an old-school letterpress, lithographic and offset printer who still has no email or mobile phone and most of whose business is conducted by post. His workshop in narrow Calle del Fumo is a Dickensian den full of beautifully maintained, ancient printing presses. Yet the cultured Gianni is quite the society printer, with regular clients including Hugh Grant and Ryuichi Sakamoto (you can see their cards in the window – minus contact details). If you're in Venice for at least four days, Gianni should be able to turn around an order for visiting cards, ex libris slips or headed stationery before you leave, or he can send by post. Prices are steep (allow €170 for 300 cards), but the craftsmanship is exquisite.
Signor Basso is an old-school letterpress, lithographic and offset printer who still has no email or mobile phone and most of whose business is conducted by post
Address: Cannaregio 5306, Calle del Fumo, 30121
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Fondamente Nove
Contact: 00 39 041 523 4681
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm, 2.30pm-6pm
Payment type: credit cards not accepted
Monica Daniele (5)
If there were a prize for the most Venetian shop in Venice, this traditional outfitters not far from the Frari would saunter through to the finals. Monica Daniele specialises in clothes that would not look out of place in a painting of 18th-century life by Pietro Longhi. Her real claim to fame is to have rescued from obscurity the tabarro, or Venetian wool cloak, as worn by Casanova and his contemporaries, which today has regained a certain cachet, even among young Venetians (if you want one, figure on spending €500 for the classic brushed-wool version in black, grey or navy blue). But she also sells a huge range of felt hats, including one inspired by poet Ezra Pound's classic homburg. Committed to preserving the authentic traditions of Venice, Ms Daniele also publishes books in the local dialect and sponsors Casanova-themed walking tours (in Italian only).
If there were a prize for the most Venetian shop in Venice, this traditional outfitters not far from the Frari would saunter through to the finals
Address: San Polo 2235, Calle dello Scaleter, 30125
Getting there: Vaporetto stop San Stae
Contact: 00 39 041 524 6242; monicadaniele.com
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm, 2.30pm-6pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Giuliana Longo (6)
Pining for a panama? Hankering for a homburg? Giuliana's your woman. Her venerable hattery just off busy Campo San Bartolomeo is filled with quality headwear of every description, purveyed by charming staff that seem almost as old as the shop (which has been here since 1901). This is where chef Marco Pierre White comes for his Ecuadorian panamas, and where true Venetians come for their Carnival tricorni (felt three-cornered hats). If a straw boater (€47) seems just too kiss-me-quick despite the fine workmanship, consider investing in a black gondolier's winter beret crowned with a pom-pom – a historic model which signora Longo rescued from obscurity and began producing a few years back. Though opening times are officially non-stop, the shop sometimes closes for lunch from 1pm to 2pm.
This is where chef Marco Pierre White comes for his Ecuadorian panamas, and where true Venetians come for their Carnival tricorni (felt three-cornered hats)
Address: San Marco 4813, Calle del Lovo, 30124
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Rialto
Contact: 00 39 041 522 6454; giulianalongo.com
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 10am-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Gilberto Penzo (7)
Gilberto is the model boat man of Venice. Name any type of Venetian boat, from a humble sandolo to a bragozzo with full sails, and he has it, in exquisite miniature form in this shipshape emporium not far from the Frari. His more elaborate creations grace museums and private collections around the world. But Penzo also does a series of affordable kits that make great presents for navally-inclined boys and girls, sold in sheets of thin laminated wood with the laser-cut pieces ready to press out and assemble. Full instructions are included, and if you mislay them you can find them on his website, in English. Prices range from €22 for a sandolo via €43 for a gondola to €70 for a water taxi (which is still a lot cheaper than a ride in one).
Name any type of Venetian boat, from a humble sandolo to a bragozzo with full sails, and he has it, in exquisite miniature form in this shipshape emporium
Address: San Polo 2681, Calle Seconda dei Saoneri, 30125
Getting there: Vaporetto stop San Tomà
Contact: 00 39 041 524 6139; veniceboats.com
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 8.30am-12.30pm, 3pm-6pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Laberintho (8)
A golden snake curled around a nugget of black glass; a skewed silver spring, like a miniature Slinky, which turns out to be a ring; a necklace made up of gold-framed panels of blown glass, their liquid patterns like exotic fish scales seen through water. Welcome to the world of Laberintho, a creative jeweller that for me is one of Venice's most absorbing craft workshops. One of the first things you notice when you walk in is the library of books on art, Venice and ancient civilizations – crib sheets for repro jewellery, but also a source of inspiration for their contemporary pieces, which always have some hints of other times and other cultures. They pitch to the higher end of the market, but have recently begun offering more items in the under €200 range (like those silver 'spring' rings, which sell for €140).
Welcome to the world of Laberintho, a creative jeweller that for me is one of Venice's most absorbing craft workshops
Address: San Polo 2236, Calle dello Scaleter, 30125
Getting there: Vaporetto stop San Stae
Contact: 00 39 041 710 017; laberintho.it
Opening times: Mon, Sat, 10.30am-1pm, 3pm-6.30pm; Tue-Fri, 9.15am-1pm, 3pm-7.15pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
L'Isola (9)
If I could afford it, I would fill my house with Carlo Moretti 'Bora' glasses. You may have seen them, or their imitators: delightfully off-kilter Murano tumblers jazzed up with spots or stripes of vibrant primary colours. L'Isola, which recently moved to the art-gallery street of Calle de le Botteghe, is the Moretti showroom in Venice. Alongside those tempting tumblers (which sell at €108 each) you'll find champagne flutes, vases, bowls, decanters and other items, all beautifully displayed, and all displaying Moretti's confident, insouciant way with form and colour, which brings out all the beauty and magic of his chosen material. Moretti died in 2008 and the firm was taken over by a fashion group in 2013, but for the time being the approach seems to be to reproduce il maestro's designs without changing a thing. Here's hoping it stays that way. They ship all over the world, and you can also buy online via the website.
If I could afford it, I would fill my house with Carlo Moretti 'Bora' glasses
Address: San Marco 2970, Calle de le Botteghe, 30124
Getting there: Vaporetto stop San Samuele
Contact: 00 39 041 523 1973; lisola.com
Opening times: Apr-Dec: daily, 10am-7.30pm. Jan-Mar: Mon-Sat, 10am-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards
Nardi (10)
Nardi's shop windows on Piazza San Marco are a distillation of Venice's talent for quality craftsmanship, and its appeal to monied connoisseurs of beautiful things. The shop is famous for its jewel-encrusted Moretto or 'moor's head' brooches, but its exquisite creations cover the whole range of wearable jewellery, plus decorative objects (a lapis lazuli box for your trinkets, perhaps?) and silverware, including candelabras and other table adornments by US designer Matthew White. The main shop is at number 69. Next door at number 71a, Mia Nardi presents a younger, more contemporary range: prices here are still bracingly high, reflecting the workmanship as well as the precious materials.
Nardi's shop windows on Piazza San Marco are a distillation of Venice's talent for quality craftsmanship, and its appeal to monied connoisseurs of beautiful things
Address: San Marco 69, Piazza San Marco, 30124
Getting there: Vaporetto stop San Marco - Giardinetti
Contact: 00 39 041 522 5733; nardi-venezia.com
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Venetia Studium (11)
The great Venetian tradition of embroidered or printed silk, satin and velvet is still upheld today by historic firms like Rubelli or Bevilacqua, but for ordinary mortals looking for a cushion or a scarf, Venetia Studium is a better bet. They have a close relationship with the legendary Fortuny luxury textile firm on the Giudecca, and hold the exclusive licence to make Fortuny lamps, including the iconic Studio 76 (€3,300) – a tripod-mounted reflector that looks like an early Hollywood arc light. They also sell pleated Delphos tops for women and Fortuny scarves, though the latter, confusingly, are not made using official Fortuny fabrics, but with beautiful silks and velvets crinkled according to the method developed by great Spanish designer Mariano Fortuny. Prices start at €103 for a 165cm x 52cm scarf. The branch listed is the most central of three dotted around the city. If you're London-based, note that they also have a shop in the Fulham Road.
If you're London-based, note that they also have a shop in the Fulham Road
Address: Dorsoduro 180a, Calle del Traghetto di San Gregorio, 30123
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Giglio
Contact: 00 39 041 523 6953; venetiastudium.com
Opening times: Mar-Dec: Mon-Sat, 10am-7.30pm; Sun, 10.30am-6.30pm. Jan, Feb: daily, 11am-6pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
££Anatema (12)
Just walking in to this vibrant colour box is enough to cheer you up even on the greyest winter's day. The Italian-Japanese design duo behind this rainbow-hued accessory paradise on the main pedestrian route between Campo San Polo and Campo dei Frari create scarves (from €49), stoles, bags and other items out of shot silk taffeta in a variety of hot and cool shades, as well as kimono wraps in wool and cashmere (€79). There's also some Murano glass jewellery - necklaces, bracelets, earrings - in the same fun and funky style. For Venice, prices are low, with items such as mohair-mix neck-warmers selling for as little as €12.
Just walking in to this vibrant colour box is enough to cheer you up even on the greyest winter's day
Address: San Polo 2603, Rio Terà dei Frari, 30125
Getting there: Vaporetto stop San Tomà
Contact: 00 39 041 524 2221; anatema.it
Opening times: daily, 10am-2pm, 3pm-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Arras (13)
Next door to the Venice University HQ of Ca' Foscari in a quiet campo, this worthy but also worthwhile womenswear emporium specialises in items made from textiles woven on handlooms by young weavers. The resulting materials, in silk, linen, cotton and wool, feature cross-hatched colours and stripes - think Missoni, only more restrained. They're made up into jackets, shawls, scarves (from €30) and other items. They've also recently begun to stock items assembled from fashion-industry offcuts by Venetian cooperative Officina GB - some of these, like their cooks' aprons (€17 kids' size, €25 adult size), make good presents. Before you swing by, note the rather complicated opening times.
This worthy but also worthwhile womenswear emporium specialises in items made from textiles woven on handlooms by young weavers
Address: Dorsoduro 3235, Campiello Squelini, 30123
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Ca' Rezzonico
Contact: 00 39 041 522 6460; arrastessuti.wordpress.com
Opening times: Mon, Fri, 9am-1.30pm; Tue-Thu, 9am-1.30pm, 2pm-6.30pm; Sat, 10am-6.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Attombri (14)
The Venetian tradition of perline (glass beads) goes back at least to the 13th century. Designer brothers Daniele and Stefano Attombri prove that they need not be associated with grandmotherly gewgaws. The necklaces and other jewels that the brothers create by combining ancient and modern beads with silver, copper or anti-allergenic metal alloys are eye-catchingly sculptural, but always wearable. I love their sense of drama, which comes to the fore in a black glass necklace adorned by three frondy rosettes that resemble sea urchins. There's a San Marco branch too, in Frezzeria (San Marco 1179), but this one under the Rialto arcades is my favourite. They also make lamps and objets for the home, and work on commission.
Designer brothers Daniele and Stefano Attombri prove that they need not be associated with grandmotherly gewgaws
Address: Castello 3478, Salizzada Sant'Antonin, 30122
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Rialto
Contact: 00 39 041 522 1439; facebook.com/BancoLotto10
Opening times: Mon, 3.30pm-7.30pm; Tue-Sat 10am-1pm, 3.30pm-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Ca' Macana (15)
In Venice, every other shop seems to sell Carnival masks, but serious players who only stock their own, hand-crafted products are few and far between. One of the most highly respected is Ca' Macana, which has three branches around Dorsoduro (I've listed the main one). This was the shop that Stanley Kubrick went to when he needed masks for Eyes Wide Shut, and testimonials from clients such as Nicole Kidman and Leo DiCaprio are proudly displayed in the window. They use age-old Venetian papier-mâché techniques to create a huge variety of masks, from traditional Commedia dell'Arte characters to surreal, fantasy numbers and futuristic sci-fi creations. Prices start at around €32 for a basic bauta model. They also organise one- or two-hour mask-making courses for groups and families - a real treat for kids in a city that offers little (except the sheer magic of the place) to keep them entertained.
In Venice, every other shop seems to sell Carnival masks, but serious players who only stock their own, hand-crafted products are few and far between
Address: Dorsoduro 3172, Calle de le Botteghe, 30122
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Ca' Rezzonico
Contact: 00 39 041 277 6142; camacana.com
Opening times: daily, 10am-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Banco Lotto no. 10 (16)
Prada in the clink? For several years now, Venice's women's prison on the Giudecca has had its own dressmaking and accessories workshop, led by fashion-industry insiders. This shop in eastern Castello is their main outlet. Most of what's on sale here is both stylish and affordable, with some rather lovely loose-cut felt cardigan-jackets in warm colours, retailing at just €50. They also do a neat line in jute shopping bags made from recycled coffee sacks (€10). In Campo Santo Stefano, the former edicola (newspaper kiosk) stocks more items made in the female penitentiary, including some desirable messenger bags, under the 'Malefatte' label – it's open Mon-Sat 7.30am-6pm, Sun 8am-noon, unless it's raining or they're not in the mood.
Most of what's on sale here is both stylish and affordable, with some rather lovely loose-cut felt cardigan-jackets in warm colours, retailing at just €50
Address: Castello 3478, Salizzada Sant'Antonin, 30122
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Arsenale
Contact: 00 39 041 522 1439; facebook.com/BancoLotto10
Opening times: Mon, 3.30pm-7.30pm; Tue-Sat 10am-1pm, 3.30pm-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Davide Penso (17)
The historic glass-making island of Murano can be a frustrating place to actually buy glass - too much of what's on sale here is cheap tourist tat, while many of the real artisans either sell direct to collectors or have outlets over the water in Venice. Davide Penso is a notable exception to the rule. In his small workshop/boutique, he makes necklaces, earrings and other items using the lampwork technique - in other words, he shapes the pieces from sections of coloured glass rod over a flame. The result is fresh, striking but always wearable contemporary glass jewellery, at prices that start at around €25 for a pair of earrings. Most days you'll find Davide at work over his lamp - a fascinating lesson in master craftsmanship.
The result is fresh, striking but always wearable contemporary glass jewellery, at prices that start at around €25 for a pair of earrings
Address: Fondamenta Riva Longa 48, 30141 Murano
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Murano Museo
Contact: 00 39 041 527 4634; davidepenso.com
Opening times: daily, 9.30am-6pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Drogheria Mascari (18)
My last purchases at Mascari? Half a kilo of currants, a twist of garam masala and a packet of jasmine-scented green tea. In Venice, such 'exotic' grocery items are hard to come by – ironic when you recall that the city was once the hub of a global trading empire. Today, only this well-stocked spice emporium and wine shop near the Rialto market continues to fly the flag for gastronomic internationalism. This is also the place to come for olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Venetian specialities like bigoli - thick spaghetti, traditionally eaten with anchovy and onion sauce. Service is friendly and efficient, and I love the fact that all their teas, spices, herbs, nuts and pulses are sold loose by weight, then wrapped as you wait in beautifully folded paper packets.
In Venice, such 'exotic' grocery items are hard to come by – ironic when you recall that the city was once the hub of a global trading empire
Address: Ruga degli Spezieri, San Polo 381
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Rialto Mercato
Contact: 00 39 041 522 9762; imascari.com
Opening times: Mon, Tue, Thu-Sat, 8am-1pm, 4pm-7.30pm; Wed, 8am-1pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Kalimala (19)
Shoemaking is one of those crafts that has seen a small revival in Venice in recent years, with some of the more high-profile practioners specialising in bizarre, carnevalesque creations. One of the things I like about men's and women's cobbler Kalimala is that it goes the other way, making stylish but sensible shoes that you might actually want to wear, in a range of shades from subtle to sassy. They only use naturally-tanned soft Tuscan vachetta leather, which is made up into (among other things) desert boots, sandals, mocassins and – a new entry – basketball shoes. Prices range from around €90 to €180 - not bad for handmade shoes of this quality. They also do a range of wallets, iPhone covers and man bags, and offer clients a limited bespoke service: for no extra charge, you can order any model in just about any colour.
Kalimala make stylish but sensible shoes that you might actually want to wear, in a range of shades from subtle to sassy
Address: Castello 5387, Salizzada San Lio, 30122
Getting there: Vaporetto stops Rialto or San Marco - San Zaccaria
Contact: 00 39 041 528 3596; kalimala.it
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 9.30am-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Legatoria Piazzesi (20)
After glass and masks, paper is probably the craft with the biggest presence in Venice's centro storico. But few can boast the history of Legatoria Piazzesi, which opened in 1851 in a strategic location on the main Accademia - San Marco walking route. Unlike many of their competitors, they still make all their own materials in and around Venice, and do all their bookbinding in situ. Most of the patterns on Piazzesi's hand-printed wrapping paper, diaries, pencil holders, correspondence boxes, folders, notebooks, stationery and decorative items derive from their own collection of antique wood blocks. Prices start at around €5.90 for a sheet of wrapping paper, which may seem steep, but each one is unique. They also stock some slightly cheaper lines from other quality Italian paper manufacturers like Tassotti in Bassano.
After glass and masks, paper is probably the craft with the biggest presence in Venice's centro storico
Address: San Marco 2511c, Campiello della Feltrina, 30124
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Giglio
Contact: 00 39 041 520 1978; legatoriapiazzesi.it
Opening times: daily, 10.30am-1pm, 4.30pm-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards not accepted
L'O.FT (21)
It started life in 1989 as an upmarket optician called L'Ottico Fabbricatore with its own line in fashionista eyewear. Over the years, this dynamic little outlet just across a bridge on the busy Rialto - Accademia route has branched out into womenswear and accessories. Don't be put off by the rather minimalist selection you see through the shop window. This shopfront area is a mere portal to another world – a former warehouse, accessed via a courtyard behind the shop, which hosts a curated selection of togs and bags by stylish, independent Italian design firms. There's even a small porta d'acqua (water entrance) chill-out space giving onto a canal, where waiting partners can enjoy a coffee and catch up on their text messages. Eyewear is still the forte of the front-of-shop space, with a cool selection of shades and frames, including some hipster own-brand frames in wood laminate.
It started life in 1989 as an upmarket optician called L'Ottico Fabbriatore with its own line in fashionista eyewear
Address: San Marco 4773, Calle dell'Ovo, 30124
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Rialto
Contact: 00 39 393 335 9709
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm, 3.30pm-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Madera (22)
Founded in 2001, this clean-lined homeware, jewellery and accessories shop on Campo San Barnaba is a welcome antidote to the Rococo excess of much that is decorative in Venice. The cutlery, crockery, lighting, jewellery and bags on sale here are sourced from young artisans or small-scale design firms, and owner Francesca Meretti makes many of the wooden items herself. The aesthetic is Scandinavian, with an occasional touch of the Far East (the latter especially evident in a range of fine porcelain bowls). It's a great place to browse for unusual gifts, with prices that range from €14 for a set of foam bottle stoppers to €264 for a salad bowl carved from a single piece of cherry wood. The homeware range recently migrated into a second space nearby in Calle Lunga San Barnaba (Dorsoduro 2729), with jewellery and accessories remaining in this original shop. They also have an e-shop at shopmaderavenezia.it .
This clean-lined homeware, jewellery and accessories shop is a welcome antidote to the Rococo excess of much that is decorative in Venice
Address: Dorsoduro 2762, Campo San Barnaba, 30123
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Ca' Rezzonico
Contact: 00 39 041 522 4181; maderavenezia.it
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm, 3.30pm-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Nerodiseppia (23)
In alternative, studenty Santa Croce, this funky design shop is a little Venetian corner of Camden or SoHo. Set up to showcase the creations of young designers, many of whom work with recycled materials, they stock everything from indie vinyl (no major labels here) to carpet handbags and organic wool leg warmers (€35). Don't miss the messenger bags, wallets (€24) and other items made locally by Camos from recycled hi-tech sail material. It's on the radical side of chic, for sure, but it makes a change from yet another mask shop. They occasionally open on Sundays too, when the mood takes them.
In alternative, studenty Santa Croce, this funky design shop is a little Venetian corner of Camden or SoHo
Address: Santa Croce 968, Calle Larga dei Bari, 30135
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Riva di Biasio
Contact: 00 39 041 865 1889; nerodiseppiavenezia.com
Opening times: Mon, Tue, Thu-Sat, 11am-1pm, 3.30pm-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Paropàmiso (24)
A fascinating Aladdin's Cave of a shop, Paropàmiso is one of the few antique jewellery specialists in Venice where you can find affordable gifts amidst the steeply-priced museum pieces. Antique micro-mosaic boxes, medallions and brooches (one of the owner's passions) are firmly in the bank-loan category, but there's also a huge selection of much less expensive vintage jewellery made from Venetian or Bohemian glass beads, semi-precious stones, wood or horn. You can pick up a 19th-century 'snake-scale' bead necklace, made specifically for the African market by European glassmakers, for around €35. They also sell loose antique perline (beads) for those who like to assemble their own necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
Paropàmiso is one of the few antique jewellery specialists in Venice where you can find affordable gifts amidst the steeply-priced museum pieces
Address: San Marco 1701, Frezzeria, 30124
Getting there: Vaporetto stop San Marco - Giardinetti
Contact: 00 39 041 522 7120
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 10.30am-7.30pm; Sun, 11am-7pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Piedàterre (25)
Underneath the arcades of the Rialto market street of Ruga degli Orefici, this bright contemporary footwear boutique takes the classic cotton gondolier slippers known as furlane or friulane and repackages them for the 21st century. In reality, apart from a few variations in colour and cut, these cotton slip-ons, which resemble Kung Fu shoes, stay true to tradition. Even the use of recycled materials – like old bicycle tyres for the soles – goes back to the origins of these 'peasant' shoes in wartime Friuli. The classic model is the velvet-topped 'Rambaud', but there are several other variations, including some rather sweet 'Odry' buckled sandals for kids. Prices start at €39.50.
This bright contemporary footwear boutique takes the classic cotton gondolier slippers known as furlane or friulane and repackages them for the 21st century
Address: San Polo 60, Ruga degli Orefici, 30125
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Rialto
Contact: 00 39 041 528 5513; piedaterre-venice.com
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 10am-12.30pm, 2.30pm-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Vittorio Costantini (26)
Vittorio Costantini represents something special even within the highly specialised world of Venetian glassmaking. He's a botanical miniaturist, his life's work focusing on the creation, via the lampwork technique, of detailed, lifelike birds, fishes, insects and plants. His small bottega in narrow Calle del Fumo is part shop, part research centre (this is where il maestro keeps all his nature books), part workshop and part museum (some of the exquisite glass flora and fauna on display here, like a beehive swarming with glass bees, belong to his private collection). Prices for those items on sale start at €8 for a life-size ladybird; more substantial pieces, like a hoopoe perfect in every feather, are priced in the €100-€150 range. Kids will be charmed, especially if Vittorio is working away at his burner on a new piece, but they need to be well behaved, as his creations are extremely fragile.
Vittorio Costantini represents something special even within the highly specialised world of Venetian glassmaking
Address: Cannaregio 5311, Calle del Fumo, 30121
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Fondamente Nove
Contact: 00 39 041 522 2265; vittoriocostantini.com
Opening times: Mon-Fri, 9.30am-1pm, 2.15pm-5.30pm; Sat, by appointment only
Payment type: credit cards accepted
VizioVirtù (27)
Along with coffee, chocolate is rooted in Venetian tradition: this was one of the first places in Europe to develop a taste, and a market, for the cocoa bean. It's perhaps surprising, then, that it was only in 2005 that the city got its first true cioccolattiere. All the chocolate products sold in this tempting emporium with its heady aromas are made on the premises, in an open-to-view choco-lab. You can buy chocolates by weight, including original praline creations flavoured with Barolo Chinato liqueur or Passito di Pantelleria dessert wine. But you can also just stop by for a dense, creamy hot chocolate (€2.50 for a small cup) or a gelato (chocolate flavours tend to dominate the selection). 'Vice and Virtue' also makes cakes, fruit pastilles, marrons glacés, candied violets, and if hot chocolate's not your thing, they also stock the speciality teas of French firm Mariage Frères, which can be sampled here or bought to take away.
Along with coffee, chocolate is rooted in Venetian tradition: this was one of the first places in Europe to develop a taste, and a market, for the cocoa bean
Address: San Polo 2898a, Calle Campaniel, 30125
Getting there: Vaporetto stop San Tomà
Contact: 00 39 041 275 0149; viziovirtu.com
Opening times: daily, 10am-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards accepted
£Il Baule Blu (28)
A charming old curiosity shop, Il Baule Blu offers a mix of vintage 20th-century clothes, accessories, furniture, tablewear, jewellery and toys. The latter is their real forte – on my last visit, they had a 1966 Attacking Martian robot in the window, a cult Japanese toy that today commands high prices among collectors. But it's the gentler world of teddy bears that is owner Silvia Brinis's real speciality. She used to make her own, but the demand for artisanal orsacchiotti ain't what it used to be in Venice, so she confines herself these days to repairing and restoring antique teddies. If you're a patient browser, you can find some really good-value gifts here, like vintage glass beads at just 50 cents each.
A charming old curiosity shop, Il Baule Blu offers a mix of vintage 20th-century clothes, accessories, furniture, tablewear, jewellery and toys
Address: San Polo 2916a, Calle del Mandoler, 30125
Getting there: Vaporetto stop San Tomà
Contact: 00 39 041 719 448
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 10.30am-12.30pm, 4pm-7.30pm
Payment type: credit cards not accepted
Mercato di Rialto (29)
"What news on the Rialto?" asks Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. In those days, when the area at the foot of the Rialto bridge was Venice's financial district and main trading centre, this was like saying 'What's the news on Wall Street?'. These days, the area around the Rialto plays a more sedate role as the city's main (morning only) produce market. But it's still a vibrant commercial hub, and one still much used by locals, despite a recent proliferation of mini-supermarkets in the centro storico. To get there from the San Marco sestiere, head over the Rialto bridge and walk past the tourist stalls to little Campo San Giacomo, with its bars and restaurants. Cross this diagonally, and you'll immediately see the fruit and vegetable stalls in Campo della Erbaria. Beyond is the covered fish market, or Pescaria, where a huge variety of just-landed Adriatic seafood awaits buyers Tuesdays to Saturdays, who include many of the city's top chefs and restaurateurs. Come early – before 9am – for the best selection.
Beyond is the covered fish market, or Pescaria, where a huge variety of just-landed Adriatic seafood awaits buyers who include many of the city's top chefs and restaurateurs
Address: San Polo, Campo della Pescaria and around, 30125
Getting there: Vaporetto stop Rialto Mercato
Opening times: Pescaria (fish): Tue-Sat, 7.30am-midday. Erbaria (fruit and veg): Mon-Sat, 7.30am-1.30pm
Payment type: credit cards not accepted
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