Stretching west from the Palazzo Ducale in San Marco all the way to the city’s eastern edges, this paved boardwalk is one of the world’s great promenades.
Schiavoni (literally, ‘Slavs’) refers to fishermen from Dalmatia who arrived in Venice in medieval times and found this a handy spot for casting their nets.
For centuries, vessels would dock and disembark here, right into the heart of Venice – if they could find a parking space between galleons and gondolas.
Today the scene is as busy as ever, with some adjustments.
The gondolas are still here, but vaporetti have mostly replaced galleons.
Tourists hail from even further afield than the merchants of yesteryear, and their main challenge is negotiating the tourist menus in San Marco (even though you really want to eat there, skip all tourist menus and order à la carte).
Some of the grand old mansions now function as pricey hotels, so you too can bunk here.
Maybe this unusual view of the empty promenade doesn't give a right idea of what it usually looks like, but...