Mercato di Rialto

The Rialto market district preserves Venice's historic centre of commerce, including its neo-Gothic fish hall beside the Grand Canal.

Why it matters

Rialto was one of the lagoon's oldest settlements and the historic seat of Venetian trade. The names of streets and squares—including Erbaria, Beccaria, Casaria and Pescaria—recall the goods once sold there. From the twelfth century, the district also housed trade magistracies, banks and marine insurance offices, making it a centre of the Republic's commercial life.

What to notice

The Pescheria is a neo-Gothic fish hall built in 1907 to designs by Domenico Rupolo. A bronze figure by Cesare Laurenti depicts St Peter as a fisherman. A marble table bears regulations on minimum fish sizes. Nearby landmarks include the Gobbo di Rialto, from which public decrees were read; the former Banco Giro; and the church of San Giacometo, with its Gothic portico and large clock dated 1410.

Context and history

The fishermen's guild dates to 1227 and included fishermen and fish-dealers. Magistracies inspected fish and enforced size rules recorded on the surviving marble table. The Rialto bridge evolved from a pontoon crossing in 1181 to a wooden drawbridge around 1250 and, in the late sixteenth century, the stone arch designed by Antonio da Ponte. The surrounding market district was rebuilt after the fire of 1514, which spared San Giacometo.