Unlike most cities all over the world, Venice only has one street (Strada in Italian): the so called “Strada Nuova” in the Cannaregio district. It was once a channel and was transformed into a road in the 19th century by filling it with earth. Its length and width are something exceptional in Venice.
The city also has two roads (vie in Italian) : via XXII Marzo in the San Marco district and via Garibaldi in the Castello district; the liste were the roads hosting an Embassy; the salizade were once paved alleys; the fondamenta are alleys along the channel. All the other streets in Venice are called “calli”, except for a few of them called “rughe” or “rami”.
The alleys’ names do not come from famous people but rather from popular stories, local events, ancient professions or products. You can read these names on the walls, on white flags with black letters. For instance the so-called “Alley of the honest woman” (Calle della donna onesta) has to do with the house of a woman struggling to defend her reputation; the Calle dei Boteri (Barrelmakers Alley), the Calle dei Fuseri (Spindlemakers Alley), the Saoneri (the Soapmakers Alleys) have all to do with traditional Venetian professions.
Venetian alleys work well as background for my couple portraits as well as for my wedding, honeymoon and engagement photo services. Have a look at some of my photo shootings in Venice on my website.