An alternative itinerary in Venice: Madonna dell'Orto

I have been thinking about it for a while, and I have come to the conclusion that Venice suffers from superficial tourism. The problem is that most tourists spend only a couple of days here, and visit only three or four sights, making the streets that join St. Mark's Square with Rialto and the Accademia Bridge a nightmare packed with people taking pictures in every bridge, lined with endless souvenir shops and restaurants with annoying touts. Now even a trip to the once quiet Burano may turn you down, as it has become quite popular!

 



Mask stall, also selling aprons of course



Many people don't enjoy Venice precisely because there are too many tourists, but if you just venture off said beaten track, you'll find rewarding things. My favourite part of Venice, and one that is always a winner when my friends come to visit, is Madonna dell'Orto, in the sestiere (neighbourhood) of Cannaregio.

It is a very quiet area, with very few tourists, clothes hung out to dry, buildings with the peel coming off and absolutely no mask shops. Here you won't be bothered by water buses, or busy gondolas. You can stroll leisurely, while looking at the beautiful reflections on the water and at the palace façades, hearing only the lapping of the waves on the boats berthed on the quiet fondamenta.  Occasionally, a motor boat owned by a local will pass by. 

 

This is as busy as it gets in Madonna dell'Orto

A canal with Church of Madonna dell'Orto in the background




Clothes hanging out to dry

 

This shot could easily have been taken in Istanbul

If you wander off hectic Strada Nuova at the height of Church of Santa Fosca and cross the bridge, then go past a bar called Il Santo Bevitore, and follow the street past another church and a second bridge, you'll find Fondamenta della Misericordia to your left.

Fondamenta della Misericordia



Fondamenta della Misericordia is a long promenade along a canal dotted with small restaurants with outside tables, and bars popular with Venetian young people, who flock here for the happy hour. If you follow my route you will pass by Paradiso Perduto, and Osteria da Rioba. You can follow this street further, where it becomes Fondamenta dei Ormesini.

Quiet restaurant along the canals of Madonna dell'Orto

If you take one of the calle (street in Venetian) to your right you'll find yourself in Fondamenta della Sensa, another relaxing walk in an area dominated by local life. Follow the canal to your right, until you arrive in Campo dei Mori, a gracious square where you'll also find a wooden kiosk with refreshing drinks.  



Campo dei Mori

This small campo (square) hosts what I consider some of the most fascinating and quirky statues in Venice, "I Mori", the moors. The statues are said to portray the three Mastelli brothers, who in 1112 came from Morea (the Pelopponese) to Venice in order to commerce in silk and spices. The name "mori" is due to their origin, and not the colour of their skin. The three moors wear nonetheless turbans and Oriental clothes. The legend goes that the Mastelli brothers were also bankers, and they robbed a Venetian woman, who prayed to Mary Magdalene. The brothers were then turned into stone by the saint, in order to warn everybody about the dangers of cheating people. The statues were assembled in the 14th century with pieces from different epochs, as it often happens in Venice, where you can easily find art pieces stolen here and there, for example during the fourth crusade.
 

One of the moors at dusk. I never understood  if they carry a turban or a bundle. 




 



Fondamenta dei Mori

On the corner of the palace you can find Sior Rioba, one of the brothers, a weird marble statue with a grotesque iron nose, which was added in the 19th century when the statue lost the original one. The statue carries a suitcase with its name written on it, perhaps to represents the riches the three brothers brought from Greece. This statue was used in the past as an "oracle", that is to say to make satire against powerful Venetian people: satirical poems were hanged near the statue addressed or signed by Sior Antonio Rioba.



Sior Rioba

 

Just next to it, you'll find the house of Tintoretto, the famous 16th-century Venetian painter. A plaque commemorates him, but the house is not a museum. To see some Tintoretto head to the nearby church of Madonna dell'Orto, where he is buried.

 

Did you like my alternative itinerary? Did you find Venice packed with tourists and couldn't stand it or did you find some quiet corners?