The Riva del Vin runs along the Canal Grande from the Rialto Bridge to the church of San Silvestro, on the San Polo side. This is one of the few stretches of the Canal Grande actually flanked by pavements. The name derives from the fact that this was where boats laden with wine would land and moor, until the mid 19th Century. Some Venetian histories, such as that by Bajamonte Tiepolo after the failure of his conspiracy of 1310, confirm that this areas was already being used to ship and trade in wine in the early 14th Century: indeed, this noble Venetian ensured that, in his own words, “the wine vessels that moored at Rialto” were withdrawn to protect his flight and prevent others from pursuing him in boats.

There used to be a building above this canal bank (demolished in 1842) that housed the “Wine Customs Office”. The wine trade was so prosperous in Venice that there were two confraternities of wine merchants, porters and decanters. Needless to say, there were also coopers (barrel makers), as proved by the street named after them – the Calle dei Boteri in San Polo - running parallel to Riva del Vin.

1300 - 1400 - S. POLO - rev. 0.1.6