San Polo

The San Polo district is the least extensive of the six districts of Venice. Its name originates from the presence of Campo San Polo, the largest square after the San Marco square, and the church by the same name in the sestiere.

The Rialto area, very well known and lively, is part of this sestiere. It features the fish and fruit and vegetable market, always very busy and, of course, the Rialto Bridge, an extraordinary work of engineering and architecture, admired and photographed by thousands of tourists every day.

In the evening, this area of the city comes alive thanks to the numerous clubs where one can stop for the famous cicchetti dei bacari, a street food of sorts with all the local specialties.

In the sestiere you can also find the Basilica dei Frari, the Church and the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, the house of Carlo Goldoni and the Bridge of the “breasts” so called because, at the time of the Serenissima, this was the red light area of the city, and from the bridge you could see the prostitutes showing their breasts to passers-by.