The Rough Guide to Venice and the Veneto

with ready-made jewellery, or drawers
of beads to choose from. Mon–Sat
9.30am–1pm & 3.30–7pm.
Codognato Calle Secondo dell’Ascensione
1295, San Marco t041.522.5042. One of the
city’s most expensive outlets, selling everything
from antique pieces through to Art
Deco brooches and modern designs. Mon
2–7pm, Tues–Sat 10am–1pm & 2–7pm;
closed Aug, Nov & during Carnevale.
Costantini Campo San Maurizio 2668/a, San
Marco t041.521.0789, wwww.glassbeads.
org. Large array of perle veneziane sold
individually, made into jewellery, or by
the bag according to weight. Mon–Fri
3.30–7.30pm, Sat 11am–6.30pm.
Laberintho Calle del Scalater 2236, San Polo
t041.710.017. Tiny workshop specializing
in inlaid earrings, necklaces and rings.
Tues–Sat 9.30am–1pm & 2.30–7pm.
Missiaglia Piazza San Marco 125, San Marco
t041.522.4464. Peerless, hyper-expensive
gold and silver work from a firm that has a
good claim to be Venice’s classiest. Mon
3.30–7.30pm, Tues–Sat 9.30am–12.30pm
& 3.30–7.30pm.
Totem Campo Carità 878/b, Dorsoduro
t041.522.3641. As well as exhibiting and
marketing “tribal” art, Totem sells an intriguing
range of jewellery made from ordinary
materials, most of it inspired by African artefacts.
Daily 10am–1pm & 3–7pm.
Lace, linen and fabrics
It’s cheaper to buy lace on Burano than in the centre of Venice, but be warned
that the cheapest stuff is machine-made and not from Burano either. The handmade
work sold at the island’s Scuola del Merletto is expensive, though not to
a degree that’s disproportionate to the hours and labour that go into making it
– and this is the one outlet where you can be sure that what you’re buying is 100
percent authentic. (For more on Burano lace, see p.212). What follows is a list of
the recommendable shops in central Venice.
Bevilacqua Campo Santa Maria del Giglio 2520,
San Marco t041.241.0662, wwww.bevilacquatessuti.com.
This is the outlet for a venerable
manufacturer of patterned velvets and damasks,
some of which are produced using
machinery made 300 years ago. Mon–Sat
10am–7pm, Sun 9.30am–5pm.
Fortuny Fondamenta San Biagio 805, Giudecca
t041.522.4078. The retail office of the Fortuny
factory sells astonishingly lustrous fabrics
at astonishing prices: e150 per metre is
standard. Mon–Fri 9am–noon & 2–5pm.
Jesurum Fondamenta della Sensa 3219, Cannaregio
t041.524.2542, wwww.jesurum.it.
Renowned for its exquisite lace, the longestablished
Jesurum also produces luxurious
(and expensive) bed linen, towels and other
fabrics. Tues–Sat 10am–1pm & 1.30–5pm.
Kerer Calle Canonica 4328a, Castello
t041.523.5485. The vast Kerer showroom
sells a wide range of lace, both affordable
and exclusive; it’s installed in the Palazzo
Trevisan-Cappello, across the Ponte Cappello
at the rear of the Basilica di San
Marco. Mon–Sat 9.30am–6pm.
La Fenice Atelier Campo Sant’Angelo 3537, San
Marco t041.523.0578, wwww.lafeniceatelier.it.
Hand-embroidered bed linen and suchlike,
at prices a tad lower than Jesurum.
V. Trois Campo S. Maurizio 2666,
t041.522.2905. This tiny shop holds a large
stock of original Fortuny fabrics. Mon 4–
7.30pm, Tues–Sat 10am–1pm & 4–7.30pm.
Venetia Studium Calle Larga XXII Marzo 2403;
Calle del Lovo 4755, near San Salvador & Merceria
S. Zulian 723 t041.522.9281 (all San
Marco), wwww.venetiastudium.com. If real
Fortuny is out of your range, try Venetia Studium,
which sells reasonably priced lamps,
bags and scarves in Fortuny-style pleated
velour and crepe. All branches Mon–Sat
9.30am–7.30pm, Sun 10.30am–6pm.
shopping Lace, linen and fabrics • Masks
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Masks
Many of the Venetian masks on sale today are derived from traditional Carnevale
designs: the ones representing characters from the Commedia dell’Arte (Pierrot,
Harlequin, Columbine) for example, and the classic white half-mask called a volto,
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