The Ghetto walk is the longest of the 17 walks – a leg-stretch but worth the effort.  The Jewish Ghetto in Venice was established 1516 on the site of a former foundry.  The word moved into popular use as a place where people of one group or ethnicity were segregated.*  This walk also features many important historical points of interest and a lively restaurant/bar zone.

Start from Campo San Felice and cross the bridge towards the train station.  It is worth pausing on the bridge to look across to the Grand Canal, where you will see the façade of Palazzo Pesaro (visit on Walk #8, POI #3).  Continuing on you will quickly encounter Calle dei Fiori on the left, which you can follow to POI #1, Ponte de l’Ogio.  The bridge is of wooden construction and would have been a typical example of how bridges in Venice were constructed in earlier years.  After a few twists and turns, you will arrive at the church of Santa Maria Maddalena (Mary Magdalene).  In the campo there you will find a pretty vera da pozzo (POI #4) from the Renaissance era.  There is also the doorway of a former Gothic Palazzo at No. 2143 (Ca’ Magno).

An oratory was founded at this site in 1222, and after some reconstruction the building was demolished in 1760 and the present building erected between 1763-78.  It has a circular design thought to have been inspired by the Salute or perhaps the classical Pantheon in Rome.  The architect – Tommaso Temanza – is buried in this church.  The eye set in the triangle and circle is a Christian symbol representing the Catholic tradition of the Trinity.  The church is rarely open, but it sometimes houses exhibitions during the Biennale. 

Looping back after the church will take you to a cluster on interest points around the church of Santa Fosca (POI #11).  The first of these is the Farmacia Santa Fosca (also referred to as ‘Spezeria all’Ercole d’Oro’) at 2233A on Strada Nova (POI #5).  Established in 1650 and renovated in 1848, the interior of this dispensary has maintained its period charm with walnut panelling and fittings, furniture, and sculpture of the Baroque.  It is still a retail outlet that now specialises in luxury fragrances (see Italian Ways).  We will now complete a loop around the church and arrive back in Campo Santa Fosca.

Behind the church and across the bridge you will find Palazzo Vendramin (POI #6) with the lovely central doorway, once home of Gabriele Vendramin a friend and patron of Titian (who painted the family portrait).  Gabriele maintained a collection of curios (now dispersed) amongst which was Jacopo Bellini’s sketchbook, now in the British Museum.

The church of San Marziale (which is Venetian dialect for San Marcilliano) was first built in the 12^th century, then reconstructed as he building you see today between 1693-1714 (consecrated in 1721).  There is a legend surrounding a statue of the Virgin Mary that arrived here in 1286 after being placed in a boat by its creator (a shepherd named Rustico) in Rimini.  The statue was duly put in the church.  A late 14^th century copy of the original statue is in a niche inside the church.  The ceiling of the church celebrates this episode with works by Sebastiano Ricci dating to the 18^th century.  The main altar attributed to Tommaso Ruer (1691-1704) is an exuberant expression of Baroque sculpture (or as Manno and colleagues describe it ‘luxurious and theatrical’).  It is titled ‘Christ on the World with Angels and Saints Below’.  Jacopo Tintoretto’s early work (1549) ‘Apothesis of St. Martial with St. Peter and St. Paul’ can be found over the second altar on the right.  Two works by his son Domenico are also on display in this church.  Look for the lovely ‘Solomonic’ columns (the ones with a barley sugar twist) on the side altars.  The outside of the church is somewhat austere, rather in contrast with the Baroque riot going on inside.

There are several other interesting features around the church to see before we loop back around to Santa Fosca.  There is a third of the so-called ‘fighting bridges’ on the northern side of the campo that connects Fondamenta della Misericordia (you will arrive at the other end of this fondamenta as you near the finish of this walk).  Some hunting back on the southern side of the church will yield views of quite a few religious/decorative architectural fragments and paterae above the entrances of the houses in the area (notably 2446, 2450, 2486 and 2489) you will need to ‘scout’ up and down the fondamenta and the campo to see these.  Of particular note is the bas relief just above the second floor at 2486, which is St Marziale holding and blessing a model of the church.  There is also a 15^th century vera da pozzo in the campo.

We will now complete a loop along Fondamenta Moro -> Grimani -> Diedo which end at Palazzo Diedo (POI #7).  Or you could double back over the Ponte Guerra Sant Fosca (one of the fighting bridges and the subject of the 1770’s Gabriele Bella painting).  Before visiting the church of Santa Fosca, pause for a moment and take in the statue of Paolo Sarpi, a member of the Servite Order and a character held in high esteem by the Republic.  During the Venetian Interdict of 1606-07 (in which the city was excommunicated) Sarpi was instrumental in putting up arguments challenging Papal authority over the city, resulting in several assassination attempts.  He had a wide range of interests, including science (he was a patron of Galileo), law and history and he used this knowledge to publish influential texts.  He was an early advocate of separating the church and the state.  From the campo, you will also be able to see Palazzo Correr (POI #12, look right while facing the church).

The church of Santa Fosca was built after the 10^th century when the Saint’s body arrived in Torcello.  The present building dates to 1733, with the façade built in 1741 due to a donation from the Dona family.  There are several interesting artworks in the church, including pieces by Domenico Tintoretto, Johann Carl Loth and Giuseppi Angeli.  The church is also notable for its fine bell tower, which is the result of a 1450 rebuild after it collapsed in 1410 in a storm.  Note the dome and decorative Gothic pinnacles (best seen from Ponte Santa Fosca).  There is also a lovely statue of an angel bearing a thurible (incense burner) at the back of the church (Campiello de la Chiesa) on the outside which dates between the 12^th-14^th century.

The remaining points of interest on this walk are sparser, but they are rewarding nonetheless.  Continue towards the railway station and on the bridge you will see Santa Maria Maddalena again.  You are now on Rio Tera Maddalena, one of the earliest streets in the city formed from a canal (around 1398).  A little further along on the right is Palazzo Dona delle Rose (POI #13).  Just before the next bridge, further down and on the right is Courte Volto Santo (POI #14, Court of the Holy Face).  This was the location of the guild hall and hospice of the former silk weavers who arrived here from Lucca in Tuscany in 1309.  Look for the image on the side of the vera da pozzo and around the courtyard.

Heading out of the courtyard and southward (double back slightly) to Calle Favaretti will take you on to the church of San Marcuola.  The church’s correct title is Santi Ermagora e Fortunato (who were disciples of Saint Mark) but it is better known as San Marcuola.  The façade has never been completed but the original church design by Antonio Gaspari would have seen it look something like the Pieta (which faces the lagoon, a little further along the Riva degli Schiavoni, down from St Mark’s Square).  The building was completed in 1736 by Giorgio Massari and the church consecrated in 1779.  The church became known for housing St. John the Baptist’s hand.  The chapels on the inside corners of the church feature statues.  Note the special work done on the pedestals (bases) of the columns inside the church which feature a spiral fluting.  There is a Tintoretto ‘Last Supper’ (1547) in this church (completed before he reached the age of 30).  Look for the ceiling by Francesco Migliori (18^th century) of ‘St. Ermagora and St. Fortunato in Glory’ (he also did ‘The Assumption’ altarpiece).

After the church, quite nearby is the Scuola del Santissimo Crocifisso (POI #16, or ‘Confraternity of Christ Crucified’) who were dedicated to the task of collecting and burying those who had died by drowning (not an uncommon occurrence in the city).  We now head north and west for 300 metres to arrive at the entrance of the Ghetto Novo (POI #17).  The history of the Jewish community in Venice extends as far back as the 10^th century, but it was not until 1385 that the city authorised them to live in the city, which they did via a permit.  This was later restricted to two-weeks stays only (in 1394).  Later, in 1509 during the War of the League of Cambrai (in which Pope Julius II allied with the French and others to curb Venetian power) the city took in Jewish refugees.  With the size of their community growing in the ensuing years, it was directed (in 1516) that they be required to inhabit a confined area of the city.  They were confined in this area, locked behind the three bridges that accessed the area from dusk until dawn (there were three sections of ‘ghetto’: Nuovo, Vecchio and Nuovissimo).  Soon after the French occupied Venice in 1797, all anti-Jewish laws were revoked, and the gates on the access bridges to the ghetto were demolished.  There is a lot to see in this area, including a restored synagogue and the Jewish Museum.  Further reading: A Journey Through the Venetian Ghetto (e-Book).

Leaving the Ghetto at its northern exit you will reach Fondamenta dei Ormesini.  This is a colourful area with many bars and restaurants, and is a long, straight section that is good for a relaxing stroll.  In addition to the recommended stops of POI’s #20 and #21, there are several other hospitality venues that are worth considering, depending on your needs, tastes, and the time of day.  Now turning northward and on the final leg of this walk, you will encounter the triangular shaped Campo dei Mori, a quaint area that was Tintoretto’s (d.1594) old neighbourhood.  His house is located just along the fondamenta at No. 3399.  The three figures set around the building on the corner of the campo are said to represent three traders: Rioba, Sandi and Alfani from Morea who settled in the city and adopted the name Mastelli.  Their palazzo can be found near the next stop (the church of Madonna dell’Orto, POI #25).  After you leave Campo dei Mori heading north, go over the bridge and left for the restaurant Il Giardino Segreto, or right and a little further along on the other side of the canal where you came from, you will see Palazzo Mastelli, which has a distinctive relief of a man leading a camel on the right of the façade.

Return to the church of Madonna dell’Orto where you will find one of the finest examples of a Gothic church façade in the city.  The church has a colourful history, having first been established as ‘San Cristoforo’ in the middle of the 14^th century by Fra’ Tiberio of the Humiliati Order of monks.  The ‘Lady of the Vegetable Garden’ (orto) name came about when a popular devotional image of the Virgin Mary placed in a nearby vegetable garden was purchased by the church to stimulate donations.  It was placed in the church in 1377.  By 1399 the building had fallen into disrepair, so significant repairs were undertaken including the creation of the façade.  The portal was designed by Bartolomeo Bon and a statue of St. Christopher, the church’s namesake adorns the top.  The 12 apostles are in the niches of the side wings flanking the large circular window in the middle.  By 1462 the Humiliati order had been expelled from Venice for various transgressions and the Canons of San Giorgio in Alga took over the church.  In the ensuing years they enriched the church with many works of art.  The order was dissolved in 1668 and the Cistercians took over.  They left the church in 1787 and a period of decline followed, with the church becoming an oratory in 1810.  The complex was re-purposed over coming decades as a stable and storage facility.  Under Austrian rule in 1841 restoration work was undertaken.  The church was reconsecrated in 1868 as a parish church.  The flood of 1966 caused further damage.  Following this Venice in Peril undertook what was their first  restorative work in the city between 1970 and 1980.

The church has a history of re-using fragments from previous rebuilds, and the inside is no exception.  Look for the lovely Greek marble columns with capitals from the original church.  One of the great legacies of this church is that it was the parish church of Jacopo Tintoretto and his family after 1547.  His ashes were interred here along with his wife and other members of his family.  The church is endowed with his works, there being no less than 11 of them here.  Look for ‘The Adoration of the Golden Calf’ and ‘The Last Judgement’ (c.1563) flanking the altar.  There is also ‘The Presentation of the Virgin’ (c.1553) over the door to the Capella di San Mauro.  This has been stitched together in one piece as its original function was the cover of the organ doors.  The reverse of the organ doors was originally adorned with two other paintings in the church: ‘The Apparition of the Cross to St Peter’ and ‘The Beheading of St. Paul’ (both c.1556).  Other works to seek out here include (1) Cima de Conegliano’s ‘St John the Baptist with Saints Peter, Mark, Jerome and Paul’ (1493-5, in its original stone frame); (2) Titian’s ‘Archangel Raphael and Tobias’ (c.1542); and (3) Giuseppi Sardi’s Monument to Girolamo Cavazza.

The original statue of the Madonna is in the Capella di San Mauro with its condition suggesting extensive restoration work in recent times.  Giovanni’s ‘Virgin and Child’ (1480) was originally in this church but was stolen 1993.  A photo of the painting is in situ in the first chapel on the left.  Other works of great merit exist in the church, but space precludes description here.  Further reading: Churches of Venice.

From here, you could return to Fondamenta della Misericordia and sample one of the many bars, cafes or restaurants, or proceed to the vaporetto stop beyond the church.

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* The origin of the word ‘ghetto’ is contested. Popularly thought to be derived from the Venetian word for foundry (the site being a former foundry).  In 1905 historian Pompeo Molmenti suggested that the source of the word was ‘Talmud-Arabic’, being the word for division or separation (‘ghet’).