As we leave the train station, let’s look around and sniff the air that smells of sea water. Walk down the few steps which lead you close to the water, just opposite the green cupola of San Simeone Piccolo’s church, which seems to be under endless restoration.  On your right you have the landing stage of the vaporetti going to St. Mark’s through the Giudecca Canal, and on your right the pier used by those going to Rialto, St. Mark’s, or Murano.  Take the Scalzi bridge on your left, cross the Grand Canal, and continue straight ahead along Calle Longa. Pass a few restaurants, a barber’s shop, a few souvenir stores, and make a left. You’ll have the small De La Bergama iron bridge in front of you. The church past the bridge is the San Simeon Grando’s (i.e. large) church.  In case you wonder how come the San Simeon Piccolo (i.e. small) that we saw just opposite the station is twice as big as this one, that is because before this new church was built, the older one which was here was the bigger of the two.  After the iron bridge make a right along the fondamenta dei Garzoti (rio Marin).  Look on your right at the Gradenigo Palace, and its two ‘’cavane”, i.e. gates where boats can dock.  Walk on, passing butchers’ shops and pizza takeaway places.  Look at the low ‘Sottoportico’ dei Squelini (Squelini means clay bowl makers, there used to be a potter’s store here). Walk to the Campiello (small square) del Cristo. 

 

Make a left here and take that small calle that looks like it’s going to lead us to some dark, weird place….  Proceed zigzagging until the Campiello delle Strope, a very cute small square with a small fountain and a well curb.  Keep on the right and walk through the sottoportico in front of you (thought to be the second lowest in the entire city).  Reach the Corte (courtyard) dell’Anatomia.  This name brings back to 1480, when the physician Alessandro Benedetti proposed to build what was called an ‘anatomy theater’, a place where to perform autopsies for reasons of study.  It was built here and it was used for about 200 years. In the year 1800 a major fire burnt it to the ground, and the ‘anatomy theater’ was moved to Padua.

 

At the end of the calle there is the Calle dei Botteri (barrel makers). Make a right and turn right again. Squeeze under the Sottoportico delle Carampane. These area is called after the case (houses) of the Rampani family.  This area was favored by whores in ancient times; they preferred for some reason to live here rather than in the area designated by the Most Serene Republic, i.e. the so-called Castelletto in the San Matteo parish. Continue straight ahead as you exit the sottoportico (on your right there is the famous ponte delle Tette — bridge of the tits — where they say hookers used to stand bare breasted, in an endeavor to lure even the most recalcitrant customers).  Walk though the Campiello Albrizzi and arrive at the fondamenta della Furatola. In these dark places (Furatola means hole) there used to be tiny shops selling fried fish and similar food for the poor. 

Make a left turn.  Walk across the bridge in front of you, go down on the left along the rio tera’ (interred rio), make a right and then a left. You are in the Campiello del Sole.  Walk along the house on your left, pass the Sottoportico del Tagiapiera (stonecutter) and take the Calle del Sole.  Turn right and then left on Calle della Donzella (maiden). Look back and look at the most askew door in Venice!!  This is the oldest area in Venice, all the calli are narrow here, and all the houses are built very close one to another, as it was the norm at a time when Venice was the most populated city in the world. After the Calle della Donzella turn right on the Calle del Volto, then left on the Calle dell’Arco. Some ten meters after turning left you may notice (on your left) a door which has been widened to make it possible for barrels to be rolled through. On your right there is a crooked Sottoportico.  Walk through it and end up in the Calle del Figher (fig tree). This is the busy Rialto business district, one of the many ‘true’ Venices. Now it’s up to you: trust one of the many eateries, have a good glass of wine, step into one of the bacari and get yourself drunk….