Stretching west from San Marco, this paved boardwalk is one of the world’s great promenades. Schiavoni (literally, ‘Slavs’) refers to the 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, the waterfront a Babel of languages, as traders, dignitaries and sailors arrived from ports around the Mediterranean and beyond.
