Climb the Snail's Spiral Off the Beaten Calle
You leave the crowds behind at Campo Manin and turn into a small, less-travelled calle. Halfway between Campo San Bartolo, at the foot of the Rialto, and Campo Santo Stefano, the street narrows, the footfall thins, and then the wall opens: a cylindrical tower of Istrian stone and exposed brick rises above you, wrapped in a spiralling series of arches. This is the Scala Contarini del Bovolo — "del bovolo" meaning "of the snail" in Venetian dialect — and it is one of the most characteristic examples of Venetian architecture at the moment of transition from Gothic to Renaissance styles.
You climb eighty monolithic steps, turning counterclockwise, up through the arches of the tower. At the top, an arcade and a terrace — the Belvedere — open onto the city rooftops and the lagoon beyond. The palazzo has been visitable since February 2016; the staircase had been closed for restoration beginning in August 2015, and it is now open again.
What You're Actually Looking At
The palazzo in its current form was designed and built in the 15th century by the architect Giovanni Candi as one of the city residences of the Contarini family. The grand exterior spiral staircase is believed to have been added in 1499 by Giorgio Spavento. The building itself began earlier: the first body of the house dates to 1300, when it originated as a fontego, a warehouse-residence in late Gothic style. The Contarini of the San Paternian branch chose it as a family residence for its position roughly equidistant between Rialto, the city's commerce, and San Marco, its political power.
- Stand in the calle and take in the tower as a whole: a cylinder perforated with a series of arches, flanked by loggias that connect it to the adjacent building.
- Climb the eighty monolithic steps counterclockwise to the terrace.
- From the arcade at the top, look out over the city rooftops and the lagoon.
Cinema, Comets, and a Lodging-House Past
Orson Welles chose the Palazzo del Bovolo as one of the main locations for his 1952 adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello — it served as Brabantio's house, and the staircase is prominently featured in the film. In the 19th century the palazzo was converted into a lodging-house by Arnaux Marseille, known as "il Maltese"; local rumour holds that he inspired Hugo Pratt's comic character Corto Maltese. One guest, the German astronomer Ernst Wilhelm Tempel, discovered comet C/1859 and the Merope Nebula of the Pleiades while staying there. In 1849 the palace was donated by its last owner to the Fraterna dei Poveri di San Luca; in 1880 it became home to the Congregazione di Carità, and it is now owned by I.P.A.V. (Istituzioni Pubbliche di Assistenza Veneziana), which uses it as its management and administrative headquarters.
When to Go, and What to Know Before You Climb
Winter hours (27 October 2025 to 22 February 2026) run daily 9:30–17:30, with last admission at 17:00. Summer hours (23 February 2026 to 25 October 2026) run daily 10:00–18:00, last admission 17:30. It is closed 25 and 26 December. On 1 January it opens 14:00–18:00, last admission 17:30; on 24 and 31 December it closes at 16:00, last admission 15:30. A few extraordinary dates apply: 1 October opens from 10:30; 10 and 11 October close at 16:00 (last admission 15:30); 26 October closes at 17:00 (last admission 16:30); 30 October closes at 16:00 (last admission 15:30).
- Tickets: €9 full; €7 reduced for ages 12–26, over 65, FAI members, TCI members and TGS Eurogroup members.
- Free entry for children under 12, licensed tour guides, Venice residents with proof, IPAV/Fondazione Venezia Servizi alla Persona employees with ID, and people with disabilities plus a companion.
- Private photoshoots and Carnival masks: €15, not available online.
- If the exhibition rooms are closed, single entrance is €7, excluding free-entry categories.
- Booking is recommended but not mandatory; groups over 10 must book via booking@fondazioneveneziaservizi.it. Free-admission visitors can reserve a date and time online for a €1 presale fee.
The address is S. Marco, 4303, 30124 Venezia VE.
Make It Part of a San Marco Day
The staircase sits in San Marco, and the wider sestiere rewards a slow afternoon. The Doge's Palace and Saint Mark's Basilica are the historic seat of power and the most spectacular sights in the city; the Doge's Palace guided tour known as the Secret Itinerary takes you through the rooms where the city's administration worked, Casanova's jail, and a 500-year-old roof structure. The Music Museum in San Marco occupies a beautiful church with a collection of musical instruments and Venetian Baroque paintings, and the Archaeological Museum holds ancient Greek and Roman sculptures alongside Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian artefacts. The Bell Tower of St. Mark, dating from 1912 as an exact replica of the tower that collapsed in 1902, offers views of Venice and the lagoon from the top. When you've had your fill of rooftops, walk to the Rialto Bridge, connecting San Polo and San Marco across the Canal Grande — one of the city's most recognizable icons — and let the calle lead you back into the noise.
Plan your climb for a clear morning, when the light on the rooftops is at its best and the small calle near Campo Manin is still quiet. Check the seasonal hours against your dates, book a time if you'd rather not wait, and give yourself the better part of an afternoon to wander between the Bovolo, the Rialto and the squares of San Marco.