Golden Day Twenty-Eight: Experience the Eastern Influences of Venice

I can always count on the wonderful people at Context Travel to take me deeper into an Italian destination. This company leads small group walking tours, led by excellent docents who are scholars, art historians, and/or authors. One of their newest walks is called Venice and the East, where you’ll be guided through La Serenissima focusing on its Byzantine and Islamic influences.

Here’s what Context’s Jessica Stewart has to say about it:

One of the things that’s always fascinated me about Venice is its longstanding connection to eastern culture. You can see this clearly in the architecture of prominent sites like the Doge’s Palace and Basilica San Marco, but also through keeping your eyes peeled while wandering through the tiny meandering streets of the city.

Heading north toward Cannaregio, turn down a small alleyway by S. Giovanni Crisostomo and you’ll find yourself in a small, quiet square along the Grand Canal called Campiello Remer. Aside from the view of the Canal and delicious, and reasonably priced, food at the restaurant Taverna Campiello del Remer (Closed Wed), you can admire the amazing architecture of the palazzo here. A rare building with its medieval staircase still intact, the curved and arching window frames show the strong influence of the eastern world.

Heading deeper into Cannaregio, I end up on the Fondamenta dei Mori, where in the Campo dei Mori you can see statues of three Moors who were supposedly members of an important mercantile family with origins from the East. To finish the day, I’d pop in to Osteria l’Orto dei Mori, a newer eatery with modern takes on traditional Venetian cuisine.