Riva degli Schiavoni

The Riva Degli Schiavoni is a lovely and lively - albeit often overcrowded - promenade that sits on the waterfront at St. Mark's Basin in Venice. It was originally built in the ninth century from dredged silt and was named for the Slavic men who brought cargo to Venice from across the Adriatic Sea.

Panorama

Riva degli Schiavoni is a water front in Venice, Italy.

Buildings around the water front

• Hotel Danieli

Coordinates: 45°26′02″N 12°20′31″E / 45.4338°N 12.3419°E

The Market Stalls

the stall market

The market stalls that crowd the area probably had their start in the fifteenth century, when Slavs and Greeks moved into the area and would line the promenade to sell their meat and dried fish near the wharf. Today, the stalls are still present though meat and dried fish aren't generally part of the fare. What visitors will find nowadays is a variety of snacks, pastries, confections of all sorts, and plenty of Venetian souvenirs for visitors to take home with them.