Mercato di Rialto

The fish market is located on the right bank of the Grand Canal. The existing building was constructed in 1907 (architects Cesare Laurenti and Domenico Rupolona) on the site of its predecessor (1881). It is designed as a Gothic loggia made of brick and white stone, which helped it blend in organically with the complex of buildings of the large market near the Rialto Bridge. The architects claimed that one of the sources of inspiration for the style was Carpaccio’s paintings. Seafood has always occupied an important, if not primary, place in Venetian cuisine and diet, and therefore until noon, while trading is underway, there are many buyers here, taking their time and carefully selecting their goods. However, there are even more tourists and simply curious people who look with interest at the exotic shellfish, crabs, langoustines, lobsters, crayfish, cuttlefish, squid, sea snails, shells, swordfish, and other sea creatures.

Joseph Brodsky enjoyed this diversity, reminiscent of the sea. He often came here just to admire the still lifes in the spirit of Snyders and other old Dutch masters. It is not surprising that on the very first day of filming “Walks…” he took the film crew here and happily guided them around the market like its rightful owner, explaining along the way the names of various sea creatures and how they are served. “This is a city of fish, both caught and swimming freely,” he wrote in his 1992 prose titled “Watermark”.

On the photo you can see another fresh fish enthusiast – Earnest Hemingway making sure he is picking the best the sea has to offer right here at the Rialto Fish Market.