Riva del Vin Street / Area

Riva del Vin, the former wine quay at the foot of the Rialto

At the foot of the Rialto Bridge, on the San Polo bank, the Riva del Vin runs along the Grand Canal towards the church of San Silvestro. This spot is worth a short detour for the view of the Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal, the insight into the area's former commercial role, and the open character of the quay.

Its name preserves the memory of a commercial activity attested for several centuries: from as early as the 11th century until the mid-19th century, boats loaded with wine docked and waited there before unloading their cargo.
The riva was part of the vast commercial complex of the Rialto, where quays, streets, and markets were often associated with specific goods or trades. In the 13th century, the Uffizio del Dazio del Vin was installed there, responsible for taxation and control of the wine trade. A less obvious fact: the Riva del Vin had previously borne the name Riva del Ferro; this name then passed to the opposite bank of the Grand Canal, on the San Marco side, where the Riva del Ferro and Riva del Carbon are to be found today.

The wines unloaded and marketed in Venice came from the lagoon islands and the nearby mainland, as well as from Friuli, Istria, Dalmatia, and other territories linked to the Republic. The wine merchants formed a guild that in 1565 obtained its own Scuola in the San Silvestro area.

The commercial function of the Riva del Vin disappeared during the 19th century, but the place retains its configuration of a quay open to the Grand Canal.
Today lined with restaurants and terraces, it offers a direct view of the Rialto Bridge and, in the other direction, of several palaces on the Grand Canal. A gondola traghetto also connects the Riva del Vin to the Riva del Carbon on the opposite bank.

Sources and further information

Comune di Venezia - History of the Riva del Vin ; Comune di Venezia - Rialto Market ; Canal Grande di Venezia - Riva del Vin.