31 Best Places to Shop in San Polo, Venice

This petite shop is the best place in town to find traditional Venetian wool capes, known as tabarro, and classic hats, such as the Ezra Pound (soft fedora), the tricorno (three-cornered hat), and the cilindro (top hat).

Despite the great popularity of the Venetian Carnevale, mask making is a dying art in the city. The large majority of masks for sale in the shops and kiosks of Venice are kitsch made in Asia and have little (if any) relationship to the popular local tradition. A shining exception is Sergio and Massimo Boldrin's Bottega dei Mascareri. Staunch traditionalists, the Boldrin brothers re-create beautiful and historically accurate versions of the masks of the Venetian commedia dell'arte. They have also carefully extended their repertoire to include masks inspired by characters in Tiepolo's paintings, thereby inventing new masks while remaining true to the spirit of 18th-century Carnevale. A mask from Bottega is about as close to the "real thing" as you can get.

A tiny bottega near Campo San Polo is run by a team of young goldsmiths and jewelry designers specializing in inlaid stones and mosaic tesserae. The work on display in their shop is exceptional, and they also create customized pieces. They are planning to offer a series of "experiences," either as demonstrations, or to guide you in designing, decorating, and even making an original piece.

The technique of creating wooden objects by "turning" them by hand—not unlike pottery turned on a wheel—requires a master's eye, hand, and experience. Angelo Dalla Venezia makes a glorious assortment of treasures  from eggs to rings to bowls of varying sizes, all showing the innate beauty of the wood itself. Perhaps the most demanding to make are the simple polished balls created perfectly by hand, which show all their intricate veining. You may not actually need one of these little masterpieces, but you will certainly want it to gaze on its seductive simplicity.

This is the oldest barber shop in Venice (established in 1924) and Alberto Amato is the third generation of his family to shave, trim, and otherwise spruce up his male clientele. The care of hair and beards (or the removal of same) is his mission; hair treatments, from shampoo to coloring, are all based on natural products, and he is one of the few barbers still using a straight razor.

This is an excellent shop for renting Carnival costumes and buying masks.  

Costumes for sale or rent are inspired by 18th- and 19th-century models, with masks (for sale only) to match. Large sizes are available for both sexes. By appointment only, but well worth the effort.

Celebrated brothers Daniele and Stefano blend and weave copper and silver wire with Murano glass beads to render stylish, contemporary pieces with a timeless feel.

This remarkable shop is full of stylish women's fashion made by the ladies incarcerated in the women's prison on the Giudecca who are following a course on dressmaking. Their cooperative began this work in 2003 as part of their rehabilitation program. The clothes speak for themselves, with lovely lines, luscious colors, and elegant fabrics. Dresses, chic evening outerwear, and bags and hats would tempt you to enter even without knowing anything about the seamstresses. The odd name was carried with them when they moved from across town, where the smaller space had been the location of a local lottery-ticket seller.

Glass master Davide Toso, who belongs to one of Murano's most renowned families, has opened a new shop near Campo Sant' Aponal. Here you can find many of the classic Venetian-glass objects such as "millefiori" paperweights, bowls, and dishes of various sizes and complexity, and more modest mementoes, made to the highest standard.

Elisabetta and Stefano, with their daughter, Giulia, founded this shop in 2008 and have made it one of the city's most remarkable sources for handmade paper (some of it bamboo) and an astonishing variety of objects made from it. Their handiwork always combines charm, style, and imagination.

"Cinderella" creates unique handmade lampshades out of silk, old lace, and real parchment, embroidered and decorated with gold braid and cotton or silk trim. It also sells restored lace and embroidered vintage clothing. The pieces on display are a perfect match for country- and antique-style furniture. The owner will be happy to discuss special orders.

Since 1948 the Mascari family has been selling a wide range of treats such as bits of dried sugared fruit, balsamic vinegar, chestnut flour, fennel seeds, Swiss chocolate, honey, olive oil, and an exceptional collection of Italian wines and liquors. Try some traditional cookies from many different Italian regions, including baicoli, the crunchy Venetian dipping cookie. If nothing else, you will almost certainly stop to admire the window full of pyramids of loose spices, a vibrant reminder that much of Venice's wealth derived from the spice trade. Note that the sign outside says "DROGHERIA." Old Venetians still sometimes call spices "drugs," because that is what they used to be.

This shop selling gondolier's garb has been at the foot of the Rialto Bridge since 1902. There are no cheap knockoffs here; the wool sweaters, straw hats, and down vests are all worn by working gondoliers and made of quality materials intended to withstand a long day out in all weather. A charming selection of gifts, such as tote bags, stuffed toys, refrigerator magnets, and so forth, all bear the crest of the gondoliers' association.

Run by a family of market-stall sellers, Fanny combines good value, friendly service, and cheerful design. Come here for an exceptional selection of soft leather gloves as well as leather and suede bags.

This publisher's national chain always has an exceptional variety of books. For Venice's typically small space, the shop is delightfully spacious, and has an excellent selection of books.

A tiny workshop specializes in superb handmade leather bags in all shapes and sizes. The craftsmanship is exceptional; get Bottega Veneta look-alikes at half the price.

One of only four artisans making the oars and oarlocks used for Venetian rowing, Franco Furlanetto carries on the centuries-old craft on which gondoliers (and ordinary Venetian rowers) depend. If a working forcola of solid walnut is too much for you, he offers an assortment of boat models, keychains, and earrings in the form of small wooden forcolas, magnets, and other Venetian mementoes.

Name a gemstone—pearl, diamond, aquamarine, garnet, jade, amber, opal—and you will almost certainly find it here, in both classic and unique settings from traditional to gorgeous. This is the ideal place to find a special piece featuring your birthstone.

The gondola and lagoon boat expert in Venice creates scale models of a wide variety of Venetian boats in his nearby laboratorio (workshop). (If the retail shop is closed, a sign posted on the door will explain how to find Signor Penzo.) When he's not busy sawing and sanding, Mr. Penzo writes historical and technical books about traditional Venetian boats, including the gondola. Here you'll also find gondola model kits, as well as some forcole (Venetian rowing oarlocks).

The "Blue Trunk" specializes in antique toys of all sorts, but their orsi artistici, mohair teddy bears, are their trademark treasures. Painstakingly handmade in many sizes and colors, with articulated paws and glass eyes, they can either grumble or play a carillon tune when squeezed. Some are unclothed; others are dressed in old baby garments trimmed with lace and ribbons.

This tiny shop contains an abundance of masks made of papier-mâché, but Marilisa Dal Cason's skill and imagination shine best in her original creations made of cut-up resin masks (the plain white ones on sale everywhere for €1), which she ingeniously reshapes into fantastic forms. From an octopus to flames covered with gold leaf, every shape is unique. Considering that each is one of a kind, her masks, though somewhat expensive, are possibly the most economical purchase of Venetian art you'll make.

Here are not only costumes for rent, but masks in every Venetian style. Pick your century, from 17th to 19th, for historically accurate styling. Shoes, hats, and capes complete the ensemble. There are period costumes for boys and girls, too.

One of Venice's oldest, and certainly most renowned, bookbinders is in the expert hands of Anselmo Polliero, the third generation of his family to create beautiful leather-bound blank books, desk accessories, picture frames, and more. He also prints serigraphs of Venetian views, and prints designs on paper using antique woodcut blocks.

Since 1995, several flourishing craft projects aimed at teaching professional skills to the inmates of Venice's prisons have borne exceptional fruit. High-quality purses, messenger bags, backpacks, pouches, cosmetic bags, etc., are made of PVC by the men, and a luscious line of natural cosmetics is created by the women using their own herbs and flowers. Solid cakes of shampoo and other hair-care products, bath gel, and creams are chemical-free. Several luxury hotels have substituted the cooperative's line of bath products for brand-name items. The collective's trademark name is "Malefatte," in one sense "badly made," but really a play on the word "malafatta," meaning "wrongdoing." 

This new salon near the Rialto market offers all the usual services—haircut and styling, color, hair repair treatments, and more, for men as well as women. What is exceptional, though, is that unlike almost all hair salons, they are open on Mondays. If your schedule doesn't leave you time to wait till Tuesday, they're ready to do whatever you need.

The Rialto fish, fruit, and vegetable markets have been operational in this same location for more than a thousand years. It's a food potpourri; scan the stalls to see what you might be dining on during your stay (or better yet, rent an apartment and experiment yourself). Look for the word "nostrano" ("ours," meaning local) when shopping to identify the most local fish and produce. For enthusiasts of seppie (cuttlefish), be aware that the older the fish is, the more black ink will be covering it. Only a few butchers survive, but this could be your chance to try horsemeat, tripe, pigs' feet, chicken livers, and other things that used to be everyday food here.

The Japanese aesthetic is quite apparent in the ceramic and porcelain bowls, plates, vases, and teapots, with inviting clean, natural lines and muted colors, of artist-owner Maria Teresa Laghi and her collaborators. Her silk scarves are just as appealing.

This store has arguably the best selection, in both quality and quantity, of handmade masks in Venice. Gualtiero Dall'Osto studied art at the Accademia and is a trove of historical information as well as an excellent source of information about Carnevale parties. The shop also turns out a limited number of costumes made from hand-printed cotton fabric.